^Ptaf... "S}.SAl 

s^ hi. ..^ 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



CRADLE LANDS 



LONDON 

PRINTED BY SPOTTISWOODE AND CO, 
NEW-STEEET SQUARE 



CRADLE LANDS 



BY 

^Siy^oM^ (^a'(w^^ 



LADY HERBERT 4^ 




LONDON 

RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET 
|1ublk^£r in #rbinarg to f er llajestg 
1867 



. CI ^ 

^^^^ 



PREFACE 



The journey detailed in the following pages was 
undertaken for the sake of the health of one of the 
party to whom the Egyptian and Syrian climates 
had been recommended in exchange for the damp 
cold of an English winter and spring. Some few 
portions of this Journal have already been published 
in a periodical entitled The Months and appeared 
last year. But these have been modified and altered 
to suit the taste of more general readers, while the 
greater part of the work is altogether new. The 
writer is indebted to Henry Pillean, Esq., of AVoburn 
Square, for his valuable artistic assistance in some 
of the Illustrations. The Chapter on Constanti- 
nople has been omitted, that town being familiar 
to all Oriental travellers. 

She hopes that this work may be of interest 
to those who have already trodden in the same 



vi 



PREFACE. 



steps, and induce others to follow them, before rail- 
roads and other contemplated innovations shall 
have succeeded in changing the character of that 
which is now rightly and emphatically called 
' Holy Land; 



AViLToN House: 
Juhj 1867. 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I. ALEXANDEIA, CAIRO, AND UPPER EGYPT .... 1 

II. FROM CAIRO TO JERUSALEjM 44 

ni. JERUSALEM AND THE HOLY SEPULCHRE . .. . . 73 

IV. GOOD FRIDAY AT JERUSALEM . ' . . . . . .116 

V. MONDAY IN EASTER WEEK AT JERUSALEM . . . .136 

VL BETHLEHEM . . .• . .149 

Vn. HEBRON AND GAZA . . .167 

Vin. ON THE WAY TO NAZARETH . 206 

IX. CARMEL AND BEYROUT 233 

X. DAMASCUS AND THE LEBANON . . . ... . . 259 

XI. ASIA MINOR AND EPHESUS 302 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

"TIBERIAS {Chromo-TAthograph) Frontispiece 

PHIL.^l to face page 1 

^jDENDERAH „ 44 

HOLY SEPULCHRE „ 73 

-'eMMAUS „ 136 

-^^BETHLEHEM „ 149 

- NAZARETH „ 206 

-CARMEL „ 233 



The Illustrations in this work are taken from Drawings made 
the spot^ oMd engraved on vjood. by George Pearson. 



CRADLE LANDS. 



CHAPTER I. 

ALEXANDRIA, CAIRO, AND UPPER EGYPT. 

On the 26th November, 186— a small but crowded 
steamer was seen ploughing its way through the 
waves at the entrance to the port of Alexandria. 
Its living freight was of a motley description : there 
was the usual proportion of Indian passengers — 
Indian officers returning with their wives after sick- 
leave ; engineer officers going out to lay down the 
electric telegraph — one of whom, young in years 
but old in knowledge, whose distinguished merit 
had already raised him to the first place in his pro- 
fession, was never again destined to see his native 
shores. Then there were others seeking health, 
and about to exchange the damp foggy climate of 
England for the warm, dry, invigorating air of Nubia 
and the Upper Nile. 

They had had a horrible passage, in a small and 
badly-appointed steamer, of which all the portholes 
had to be closed on account of the gale, leaving the 

B 



2 



ALEXANDRIA, 



wretched occupants of the cabins in a state of 
suffocation difficult to describe. So that it was 
with intense joy that the jetty was at last reached ; 
and in the midst of a noise and confusion well 
known to all who arrive at Alexandria, the pas- 
sengers were landed on the dirty quay, and were 
dragged rather than led into the carriages which 
were to convey them to the hotel. It was the Feast 
of St. Catherine, the patron saint of Alexandria, to 
whom the great cathedral is dedicated ; and, in 
consequence, the town was more than usually gay. 
Towards evening a beautiful procession was formed, 
and Benediction sung, in the cathedral, which is 
served by the Lazarist Fathers. It was the best 
day to arrive at Alexandria, and the prayers of the 
virgin saint and martyr were earnestly invoked by 
some of the party, for a blessing on their voyage 
and a safe and happy return. 

The best hotel in Alexandria is supposed to be 
the ' Europa ; ' but our travellers, finding it quite 
full, and rather dreary and barn-like in appearance, 
went on to Abbas', a French house, where every- 
thing was as clean and comfortable as possible. 
Their compulsory starvation for seven days and 
nights on board the steamer had made them, 
perhaps, less inclined to be dainty; but the 
cooking was really excellent, and here for the first 
time they tasted fresh dates in all their perfection. 
One comfort only was wanting in this hotel, and 



ALEXANDRIA. 



3 



that was mosquito-nets. Terribly Avas this want 
felt by one of the party, an invalid, who, suffering 
severely from ulcerated throat, was compelled to 
keep his bed. The mosquitoes were ubiquitous, and 
the inflammation caused by their stings rendered 
all sleep impossible. 

The rest of the party, after making a pilgrimage 
to Pompey's Pillar, and inveighing against the bad 
taste of their countrymen, who have cut their stupid 
names broadly and deeply over every part of this 
great monument of antiquity, went on to see the 
Pacha of Egypt's Palace, built near the sea-shore. 
The fine marble hall was cool and pleasant after 
the glare and heat outside ; and the parquet floors 
of the saloons, made of ebony and almond-wood, 
were exquisitely inlaid ; but the rest of the decora- 
tions were in doubtful taste. 

To one who has been for a long time in the East, 
Alexandria seems to be a motley collection of half 
European, half Arabian houses, and the refuse of 
the populations of each; but on first landing, every- 
thing appears new, beautiful, and strange. The long 
files of camels, the veiled women, the variety of the 
dresses, are all striking ; but the one thing which 
even the most hackneyed Nile traveller cannot fail to 
admire is the vegetation. Enormous groves of date- 
palms and bananas, with an underwood of poinsettias, 
their scarlet leaves looking like red flamingoes amid 
the dark-green leaves, and ipomgeas of every shade 

B 2 



4 



ALEXANDRIA, 



— lilac, yellow, and above all turquoise-blue — 
climbing over every ruined wall, and exquisite in 
colour as in form, delight an eye accustomed to see 
such things carefully tended in hothouses only, or 
paid for at the rate of five shillings a spray in 
Covent Garden. 

The Sisters of Charity of ^ St. Vincent de Paul' 
have two very large establishments here — one a 
hospital, to which is attached a large dispensary, 
attended daily by hundreds of Arabs ; the other a 
school and orphanage of upwards of 1,000 children. 
There are thirty-seven Sisters, and their work is 
bearing its iruit, not only among the Christian but 
the native population. To our English travellers 
the very sight of their white ' cornettes ' was an 
assurance of love and kindness and welcome in 
this strange land ; and it was with a glad and 
thankfiil heart that they found themselves once 
more kneeling in their chapel, and felt that no 
bond is like that of charity, uniting as in one great 
family every nation upon earth. 

There is a large Anglican Church in Alexandria 
(the only one in Egypt), built in the Moresque 
style, at the cost of 14,000?. ; but fi:-om some defect, 
either in the building or the material, it is already 
crumbling away. 

Among sundry letters of introduction, our 
travellers had brought one from Miss Florence 
Nightingale to the famous Oriental scholar and 



CAIRO. 



5 



antiquarian, Mr. Harris, the great authority on all 
matters connected with ancient Egyptian art, and 
Avho, with his daughter, lives in a charming villa out- 
side the town, filled with rare and beautiM objects. 
Miss Harris is as talented as her father, and assists 
him in all his literary and scientific undertakings. 

In the evening there was a picturesque procession 
in the town, with coloured Chinese lanterns and 
banners, looking like a picture in the ' Arabian 
Nights,' as it wound round the square and through 
the narrow streets, the people chaunting in unison 
the while. 

After a couple of days' rest, our English party 
started by the railroad for Cairo. This journey was 
not as commonplace as it sounds ; for at each 
station the train was besieged by Arabs, clamouring 
for passages, between 300 and 400 at a time ; so 
that it required all the efforts of the guards and 
their dragoman to prevent their carriage being 
taken fi:'om them by main force. The heat was very 
great, and the invalid of the party suffered terribly. 
Having been warned of the excessive discomfort of 
Shepherd's Hotel, and the impossibility of getting 
anything to eat there, our travellers, on their arrival 
at Cairo, drove straight to ' Coulon's,' where apart- 
ments had been secured for them looking on the 
principal square, and where the first Arabic word 
they learned to pronounce was ^ ahik ' (leeches) — 
a remedy urgently needed by their sick companion, 



6 



GAIRO. 



and which, fortunately, instantly relieved the inflam- 
mation and pain from which he was suffering. 

The beauty of Cairo is the theme of every writer 
on Egypt and the Nile ; but it would be impossible 
to exaggerate its extreme picturesqueness. The 
exquisite carving of its mosques and gateways ; the 
oriental character of its narrow streets and bazaars 
and courts ; the beauty of the costumes, and of the 
fretted lattice casements overhanging the streets ; 
the gorgeous interior fittings of the mosques, one of 
which is entirely lined with oriental alabaster ; the 
magnificent fountains in the outer courts of each ; 
the graceful minarets — all seen in the clearness and 
beauty of this perfectly cloudless sky, leave a picture 
in one's mind which no subsequent travel can efface. 
Outside the town is a perfect ^ City of the Dead : ' all 
the Pachas and their families are interred there, and 
people ' live among the tombs,' as described in the 
Gospels ; while on Fridays the Mahometans have 
services there for their dead, ^ that they may be 
loosed from their sins ' — one of those curious 
fragments of Christianity which are continually 
cropping out of this strange Mahometan worship. 

The first days of our travellers' arrival at Cairo 
were spent in preparing for their Nile voyage, and 
going down to Boulak to inspect boats or 
' dahahiehs,' as they are called. The kind Consul - 
General had already provisionally engaged two for 
their party, which were to be arranged in the 



CAIRO, 



7 



Turkish fiishion — the one for the women, the other 
for the male part of the expedition. A good many- 
little comforts were still wanting, which the owners 
promised to supply, and certain under-garments 
were likewise ordered for the sailors : a very neces- 
sary precaution, when it is remembered that, with the 
exception of the white shirt, red woollen girdle, and 
turban, the native boatmen dispense with all other 
descriptions of clothing. 

Whilst these things Avere being manufactured, 
our travellers visited all the most remarkable 
buildings in the town, including the Citadel, ad- 
joining which is the Mosque of Mehemet Ali, built 
entirely of oriental alabaster. All the mosques 
are on the same plan, and are approached through 
a large court supported by pillars and paved with 
marble, in the centre of which is a well, for the 
faithful to wash before prayers. In this instance 
the alabaster well is beautifully carved, and the 
view from the terrace, overlooking the whole town 
and river, with the Pyramids in the distance, is the 
finest which can be imagined. Our party were 
shown the interior of the mosque, their shoes having 
been reverently exchanged for enormous yellow slip- 
pers at the entrance. There is no altar, but a high 
pulpit, from which the Koran is read, and latticed 
galleries above for the harems. The whole was 
beautifully lit with hundreds of silver lamps. 

From the Mosque they went into the Palace, and 



8 



CAIRO, 



saw the spot on the terrace from whence the 
Mamekike, who escaped the general massacre of his 
race, took the famous leap on horseback, by which 
his life was saved as by a miracle. Afterwards our 
travellers visited Joseph's Well, and then, passing 
through the Horse Market, went on to the Mosque 
of Sultan Hassan, one of the most ancient in Cairo, 
and full of porphyry, serpentine, and other rare 
marbles. The priests were praying with continual ^ 
prostrations, but did not seem so much affronted 
as usual at the advent of the strangers. The road 
back to the Capitol passed by the wretched mud 
walls, with raised traps in the flat roofs to let in 
air and light, dignified by the name of ^ Barracks,' 
and into which the poor soldiers can only enter on 
hands and knees. No wonder that they have to be 
chained to prevent their escape ! 

The streets were a never-ending source of amuse- 
ment and interest to the party — not only from their 
intrinsic beauty, but fi^om the indescribable variety 
and novelty of the bazaars and of the costumes of 
the people. Ladies of whom nothing is visible but 
the eyes, the rest of their bodies being enveloped in 
gorgeous-coloured silks, and over all a cloak of black 
silk called a ^ liaharah ; ' dervishes with their long 
black robes, and green turbans ; picturesque water- 
carriers, with their water-skins, and others with 
long sticks of sugar-cane, the chewing of which is a 
general amusement to people of all ages and classes ; 



CAIRO. 



9 



Arabs and fierce Bedouins in burnous, and Kaffirs 
with long guns ; Syrians with red caps and flowing 
robes ; fat Turks in flowered silk dressing-gowns and 
ample turbans ; peasant women draped from head 
to foot in the blue dress and black veil which are 
their only covering, with a child generally sitting, 
monkey-like, on their shoulder ; and in the 
midst of this motley crowd thronging the narrow 
. streets, which are latticed over with matting to 
keep out the sun, strings of camels and donkeys 
beautifully caparisoned with crimson and embroi- 
dered trappings, closely followed by their owners, 
screaming out ' riglah' (beware), ' shimlah' (to 
the left), ' Ya Sitt' (0 Lady), &c., &c. (to warn 
the passengers out of the way), in every conceivable 
key and pitch of shrillness, the whole combining to 
form a picture unrivalled in any other Eastern town. 
Now and then they came on a marriage procession : 
the bride, in crimson and covered with jewels, walk- 
ing under a canopy, supported by four men, and 
preceded by musicians, producing the most won- 
derful melody out of the most curious instruments. 
This kind of procession was often immediately 
followed by a group of little boys, dressed in red, 
with gold-embroidered jackets, on horseback, going 
to be circumcised ; or else a ftineral would block 
up the way — i.e., a long string of hired mourners, 
men and women, veiled and howling, the coffin 
richly covered with silk trappings, and a diamond 



10 



HELIOFOLIS. 



' aigrette ' at the head, testifying to the rank of the 
deceased. Nothing can be more sad than the look 
of the cemeteries to Christian eyes. There is nothing 

but a round lump of stone 
like this woodcut to mark 
the graves : the turbaned 
projection at the head sig- 
nifying a man, and the plain bit sticking up at the 
base a woman : not one word of faith, or hope, or love. 

One of the most interesting expeditions made 
by our travellers was to Heliopolis. They passed 
through a sandy plain, full of cotton, date-palms, 
and bananas, and by a succession of miserable 
native huts (which consist of mud walls, with a roof 
of Indian-corn, and a hole left in the wall for light), 
until they came to an obelisk, and from thence to a 
garden, in the centre of which is a sycamore-tree 
carefully preserved, under which the Blessed Virgin 
and St. Joseph are said to have rested with the 
Infant Saviour on their flight into Egypt. It is 
close to a well of pure water, and surrounded with 
the most beautiful roses and Egyptian jasmine. 
The Mahometans have the greatest veneration for 
the ^ Sitt Miriam,' as they call the Blessed Virgin. 
They prove her Immaculate Conception from the 
Koran, and keep a fast of fifteen days before the 
Assumption ; therefore no surprise was felt at seeing 
the care with which this grand old tree is tended 
and watered by them. 




OLD CAIRO. 



Eeturning home, they stopped at a deserted 
town founded by the late Abbas Pacha, which is 
going to be converted into a college. At present 
it is only a collection of wretched houses, at the 
doors of which swarm shoals of dirty black children, - 
covered with flies, which settle on their faces and 
destroy their eyesight ; while miserable dogs (half 
fox, half wolf) fly at the passing stranger, and 
women, in their long blue dresses and black veils, 
squat silently and patiently, staring at the strangers. 
To the left were several encampments of Bedouins 
— men who had generally come with files of camels, 
on the speculation of being hired for the journey 
across the long desert, and who had surrounded 
their tents with a palisade of sugar-canes, to keep 
out the wind and cold. 

Another expedition made by the travellers was 
to Old Cairo, w^here, near the famous Nilometer, is 
the Coptic convent and chapel built over the House 
of the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph, where they 
are said to have lived for two years with Our 
Blessed Lord. There are some very beautiful an- 
cient marble columns and fine olive-wood carvings, 
inlaid with ivory, in this church ; and a staircase 
leads down to the Virgin's House, which is now 
partly under water fi:om the rise of the Nile. It is 
curious how persistently all early tradition points 
to this spot as the site of Our Saviour's Egyptian 
sojourn, and it was with a feeling of simple faith in 



12 



CAIRO. 



its authenticity that one of the party knelt, and 
strove to realise this portion of the Sacred Infancy. 

The following morning, through the kindness of 
M. Marietti, our travellers were shown the Museum 
lately established by his exertions, and containing 
a wonderful collection of Egyptian antiquities, ar- 
ranged with the greatest taste. There is a statue 
in Brescia of a King Chephren, of the second 
dynasty, who lived 5,800 years ago, and built the 
second pyramid : it is as fresh as if just made, ex- 
cept that a little bit has been broken off the leg. 
One whole room is devoted to jewellery, looking as 
if it. had just come out of Storr and Mortimer's, 
which was all found in the mummy-case of a certain 
Queen Aa Hotep, who lived in the eighteenth dy- 
nasty, or 3,700 years ago — in fact, about the time 
of Abraham and Sarah. Some of these necklaces 
were exhibited in England in the International 
Exhibition of 1862. The scarabees are also very 
fine ; and there are some curious boats, daggers, 
hatchets, and spoons, and representations of dif- 
ferent human figures, especially one of a woman 
swimming — all the attitudes and forms being iden- 
tical with those which are now seen among the 
modern Egyptians. 

There are three Catholic churches in Cairo, the 
cathedral being a fine large building. The Sisters 
of the ' Good Shepherd ' have also a convent near 
the cathedral, and an admirable day-school and 



CAIRO. 



13 



orphanage. Many dark-eyed young girls, whom our 
travellers saw kneeling at Benediction there, had 
been rescued by the kind mother from worse than 
Egyptian slavery. The condition of the ^ fellahs , 
or lower orders, in Egypt, is appalling, from its 
misery and degradation ; and the good Sisters have 
very uphill work to humanise as well as Chris- 
tianise these poor children. Nothing can be more 
wretched than the position of women throughout 
Egypt. If at all good-looking, they are brought 
up for the harems ; if not, they are kept as ' hewers 
of wood and drawers of water;' and the idea of 
their having souls seems as little believed by the 
Mahometans as by the Chinese, whose incredulity 
on the subject the Abbe Hue mentions so amusingly 
in his missionary narrative. 

On Friday, at two o'clock, our travellers went to 
see the dancing dervishes — a most extraordinary 
performance, which few people would care to witness 
twice. First the mufti, or sheik of the dervishes, 
arrived, curled himself up on a divan, smoked his 
pipe, and had coffee, which he offered to all the 
company — everyone bowing low to him, and the 
Arabs and Moslems all taking off their shoes on 
coming into his presence. Then the visitors were 
taken into a circular place like a bull-ring or horse- 
circus ; the head dervish seated himself on a carpet 
in the middle, while a multitude of other dervishes, 
with high caps of a sugar-loaf shape, formed a ring 



CAIRO. 



round him, and began, with, a low monotonous 
music, to sway their heads and bodies backwards 
and forwards, chaunting all the while passages from 
the Koran. Six of these dervishes then walked 
round the sheik three times, after w^hich, stretching 
out their arms, closing their eyes, and holding their 
heads on one side, they all began to spin round 
and round like a succession of teetotums, each time 
increasing in velocity, till their petticoats stuck out 
like umbrellas, and they were fairly exhausted. As 
soon as one set dropped another took up the dance, 
each concluding by a prostration before the Great 
Dervish, whose hand they kissed. The same thing 
was repeated for an hour, till our travellers became 
nearly as giddy as the performers. 

Before leaving Cairo, the English ladies were in- 
vited to spend an evening in the Eoyal Harem, and 
accordingly, at eight o'clock, found themselves in a 
beautiful garden, with fountains, lit by a multitude 
of variegated lamps, and were conducted by black 
eunuchs through trellis-covered walks to a large 
marble-paved hall, where about forty Circassian 
slaves met them, and escorted them to a saloon 
fitted up with divans, at the end of which reclined 
the Pacha's wives. One of them was singularly 
beautifiil, and exquisitely dressed in pink velvet and 
ermine, and priceless jewels. Another very fine 
figure was that of the mother, a venerable old 
princess, looking exactly hke a Rembrandt just come 



CAIRO. 



15 



out of its fi*ame. Great respect Avas paid to licr, 
and Avhen she came in, everyone rose. The guests 
being seated, or rather squatted, on the divan, each 
was supphed with long pipes, coffee in exquisitely 
jewelled cups, and sweetmeats, the one succeeding 
the other without intermission the whole night. 
The Circassian slaves, with folded hands and down- 
cast eyes, stood before their mistresses to supply 
their wants. Some of them were very pretty, and 
dressed with great richness and taste. Then began 
a concert of Turkish instruments, which sounded un- 
pleasing to English ears, followed by a dance, which 
was graceful and pretty; but this again followed by 
a play, in which half the female slaves were dressed 
up as men, and the coarseness of which it is im- 
possible to describe. The wife of the Foreign Minis- 
ter kindly acted as interpreter for the English 
ladies, and through her means some kind of con- 
versation was kept up. But the ignorance of the 
ladies in the Harem is unbelievable. They can 
neither read nor write ; their whole day is employed 
in dressing, bathing, eating, drinking, and smoking. 

Before the close of the evening, Princess A , 

addressing herself to the mother of the party, 
through her interpreter, spoke very earnestly and 
seriously about her daughters (then twelve and 
fourteen years of age), remonstrating with her on 
their being still unmarried, and adding : ' Next 
Friday is the most auspicious of all days in the 



i6 



CAIRO, 



year for betrothal. I will have six of the hand- 
somest and straightest-eyebrowed pachas here for 
you to choose from.' In vain the English lady re- 
fused the intended honour, pleading that in her 
country marriages were not contracted at so early 
an age, to say nothing of certain differences of race 
and of faith ! The Princess was not to be diverted 
from her purpose, and persisted in arranging the 
whole of the Friday's ceremonial. Let us hope that 
the young ^ straight-eyebrowed pachas ' found some 
other fair ladies, to console them for the non-appear- 
ance of their wished-for English brides on the 
appointed day. The soiree lasted till two o'clock in 
the morning, when the royalty withdrew ; and the 
English ladies returned home, feeling the whole time 
as if they had been seeing a play acted from a scene 
in the ^Arabian Nights,' so difficult was it to realise 
that such a kind of existence was possible in the 
present century. 

The Sunday before they left, curiosity led them 
to witness the gorgeous ceremonial of the Coptic 
Church. The men sat on the ground with bare 
feet, the women in galleries above the dome, behind 
screens. The Patriarch — who calls himself the 
successor of St. Mark, and is the leader of a sect 
whose opinions are almost identical with those 
condemned by the Council of Chalcedon as the 
Eutychian heresy — was gorgeously attired in a cha- 
suble of green and gold, with a silver crosier in one 



CAIRO AND SUEZ. 



17 



hand (St. George and the Dragon being carved on 
the top), and in the other a beantiful gold crucifix, 
richly jewelled, wrapped in a gold-coloured hand- 
kerchief, Avhich everyone stooped to kiss. After the 
reading of the Gospel and the Creed, the people 
joined with great fervour in the Litanies ; and then 
began the consecration of the sacred Elements, which 
lasted a very long time. The Holy Eucharist was 
given in a spoon to each communicant, the bread 
being dipped in the wine, and the Patriarch laying 
his hand on the forehead of each person while he 
gave the blessing. At the same time, blessed bread 
stamped with a cross, and with the name of Christ, 
was handed round to the rest of the congregation, 
like thepain henit in village churches in France. The 
Copts boast that there has never been the slightest 
alteration in their religious rites since the fourth 
century, and they are undoubtedly the only descend- 
ants of the ancient Egyptians. 

The following morning a portion of our travellers 
started by train for Suez, across a waving billowy- 
looking tract of interminable sand. Except the 
^halfway house' (a miserable shed), there is no 
human habitation all the way, and nothing to be 
seen but long files of camels slowly wending their 
way across the desert. After enjoying for a few 
minutes the first sight of the Red Sea, the Consul 
obligingly lent them horses to ride to the Lesseps 
Canal, which was then completed to Avithin six 



i8 



THE WELLS OF MOSES, 



miles of Suez. Upwards of 5,000 Arabs had been 
pressed into the service by the Pacha, and the poor 
creatures were toihng under the burning sun, with 
no pay and wretched food, and, when night came, 
sleeping under the banks. The mortality among 
them was frightful ; but it was in this way that the 
Pacha paid for his shares ! Our travellers tasted 
the water, the first that had ever been brought to 
Suez, except by camels, or, of late, by the ivater- 
train. It is difficult to realise the fact of a town of 
this size being entirely without fresh water until 
now; which accounts for the absence of the least 
kind of vegetation. 

The next morning a steamer took our party 
early to the Wells of Moses, about nine miles up 
the Gulf of Suez, where they landed, being carried 
through the surf by the Chinese rowers. Each of 
the wells is enclosed in a little fence, and belongs 
to a Suez merchant. It is a most curious spot, so 
green and lovely in the midst of such utter deso- 
lation. There are dates and bananas, roses and 
pomegranates, salads and other vegetables, all 
growing in the greatest luxuriance. Long strings 
of camels filed across the sand on their way to 
Mount Sinai, and the colouring of the mountains 
w^as exquisite. The shore was covered with coral 
and shells. 

After spending an hour or two there, and read- 
ing the Bible account of the spot, our travellers 



SUiJZ AND THE NILK 



19 



returned to the ship, and went across the gulf to 
see the exact place where the Israelites crossed the 
Ked Sea when pursued by Pharaoh. The view was 
beautiful, and the Hill of Barda stood out brightly, 
with its jagged points clear and purple against the 
glowing sky. Then they visited the English burial- 
ground — a most dismal place, unmarked by a single 
cross or Christian emblem, with a mud house in 
the centre of the low sandy island on which it is 
situated. ^ We have the Crescent everywhere — 
you. Christians, are ashamed of your Cross ! ' had 
been the exclamation of a clever Moslem to one of 
the ladies the day before ; and the reproach was 
certainly deserved. 

There are a large number of English engineers 
at work just now on a new dock at Suez. The 
Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Com- 
pany pay the Pacha 200,000^. a year, for the use 
of the rail and the overland route through Egypt. 
The hotel and everything connected with it is their 
property, being established for the use of the Indian 
passengers. The Catholics have a small church at 
Suez, but are building a larger one, as their mission 
is greatly on the increase. There is no Protestant 
chapel. 

Our travellers returned that evening to Cairo, 
and for the first time dined and slept on board 
their boats, or dahabiehs. The first sensation was 
one of discomfort at the smallness of the cabins ; 



20 



THE NILE. 



but they soon got used to their floating homes, and 
the beauty of the weather enabled them to live all 
day long on the awning-covered poop, so that 
they ceased to feel cramped and uncomfortable. 
The following day, the wind being contrary, Latifa 
Pacha, the head of the Admiralty— who had paid 
them a visit the evening before, with his inter- 
preter, and had coffee in the saloon of the ' Zarifa,' 
which was the name of the ladies' boat — gave them 
a steamer to tow them up to Gizeh, from whence 
they were to visit the Pyramids. The excessive 
depth of each stone makes the ascent an arduous 
one for ladies, but the view amply repays one for 
the exertion. On one side is the interminable 
desert — on the other the fertile ' Land of Goshen.' 
Owing to the recent inundations, the party had 
continually to dismount fi^om their donkeys, and be 
carried across the water on men's backs. The next 
few days passed quickly, our travellers landing 
every morning to walk and sketch (while the men 
were bracking' along the shore), and making 
acquaintance with all the people and places of in- 
terest as they passed. 

At El-Atfeh was a remarkable dervish of the 
tribe they had seen ' dancing' in Cairo, who 
showed them his house, in the court of which 
was the tomb of his predecessor, hung with 
ostrich-eggs, canoes, and other votive offerings, 
but hideously painted in bright-green. A favour- 



THE NILE. 



21 



able Aviiul the following day brought them to 
Beni-Sooef, where they landed to make some trifling 
purchases in the bazaars, and to see the Governor's 
house and the Camp ; there Avere above 6,000 
troops quartered there. At Bibbeh there is a very 
fine Coptic church, with a picture of St. George 
and the Dragon, wdio is the favourite saint through- 
out the East, and venerated alike by Christian and 
Moslem. Again, on their w^ay to Minieh, they 
passed by a fine Coptic convent, dedicated to the 
Blessed Virgin, on the top of a cliff ; and two of the 
monks sw^am to the boats to ask for alms and 
offerings, which are never refused them. From 
thence they came to ' Gebel-e-Tayr,' or the Moun- 
tain of the Birds, to which a curious legend is 
attached. All the birds in the country are said to 
assemble once a year on this mountain, and after 
having selected one of their number to remain 
there till the foUowdng year, the rest fly aw^ay into 
Africa, only returning the ensuing spring to release 
their comrade, and substitute another in his place. 

The travellers had begun to feel thoroughly at 
home in their tiny cabins, and the only disad- 
vantage they found w^as in the difference of speed 
between their two boats. The ^ Zarifa ' w^as of iron, 
and heavier than the ^ Rachel,' wdiich w^as of wood. 
But the ' Rachel' contained not only the gentlemen 
of the party, but also the kitchen and the cook ; and 
it was wdth a feeling of something like desperation, 



22 



THE NILE: MINIEH AND 8AWADA. 



now and then, that the unfortunate ladies on board 
the ^ Zarifa,' about dinner-time, saw their only hope 
of food disappearing in the far distance ! — or still 
worse, when, on an unforeseen sandbank (which 
the constant shifting of the Nile often produces), 
they would be stuck high-and-dry for hours, with- 
out any fault on the part of the rets, or captain, 
while the ^Eachel' would sail merrily on, regardless 
of their fate. The air of the Nile is wonderfully 
invigorating, and it certainly needs a good appetite 
to be able, for four or five successive months, to live 
on nothing but lean chickens and eggs. The mut- 
ton is woolly and bad ; and the fact of your sheep 
accompanying you in the little boat for weeks, like 
' familiar friends,' disinclines you all the more to 
eating them at the end. 

At Minieh the boat's crew insisted on stopping 
to bake. In spite of warnings, our travellers had 
not been sufficiently positive and explicit respecting 
the places where this important business was to be 
transacted ; and the men will always stop, if they 
can, at the most objectionable stations, when their 
time is spent in every sort of excess. Minieh was 
uninteresting enough ; but some of the party 
sketched, to while away the time, and there saw 
the only tree (except a palm) which was visible on 
the Nile banks from Cairo to Wady Haifa. It 
was a sycamore-fig, and grew close by the red-and- 
white minaret of the Governor's house. 



23 



The weather was glorious — a dead cahii — and 
the sunsets were as gorgeous as the sunrises were 
delicate and ethereal. Nothing can surpass the 
' afterglow ' of an Egyptian evening sky. On 
the 20th December they reached Sawada, Avhich 
is a village somewhat inland, but containing a 
large Coptic convent and church, served by six 
priests, and with a congregation of upwards of 
1,000 Christians. It is also an important burial- 
place, and there are multitudes of little domes 
looking like children's sand-basins reversed, but 
each surmounted by a cross. One of the ladies 
w^as sketching this picturesque village from a 
palm-grove at the entrance of the principal gate- 
way, w^hen a venerable priest approached her, and 
made that sign which in the East is the free- 
masonry of brotherhood — the sign of the Cross. 
The lady instantly responded, and the old priest, 
joyfully clapping his hands, led her into the church, 
showing her all its curious carvings and decorations, 
and several very ancient MSS. There are some 
fine mountains at the back, in which the gentlemen 
of the party discovered some wolves. 

The next day brought our travellers to Beni- 
Hassan. The caves, which are about three miles 
from the shore, were originally used as tombs by the 
ancient Egyptians, and are covered with paintings 
and hieroglyphics ; but their chief interest arises 
from their having been the great hiding-place of 



24 



8I00T. 



the Christians during the persecutions, and also used 
as cells by St. Anthony, St. Macarius, and other 
anchorites. A little farther on, near Manfaloot, is 
the cave of St, John the Hermit, venerated to this 
hour as such by the natives. This part of the Nile 
is dangerous, on account of the sudden gusts which 
come down from the gorges of the mountains. 
There is a wonderful echo in one part, and a 
succession of curious caverns on both sides of the 
shore. 

On Christmas Eve our travellers arrived at Sioot, 
and found all the American and English boats illu- 
minated with coloured lights, and decorated with 
palms. It was a glorious moonlight night, and 
most of the owners of the dahabiehs rowed about 
in the evening, enjoying the unusual scene, and 
thinking of the glonous midnight Masses in other 
lands. There is a Catholic church here, served by 
the Franciscan Mission, which is under the special 
protection of the Emperor of Austria, who has sent 
some very good pictures and ornaments for the 
altars. The Mass w^as reverently and well sung, 
and about 150 Catholics were present. 

After Mass the Italian Padre gave them coffee. 
He had been educated at the ^ Propaganda ' at 
Rome, but had been twenty-four years in Egypt, so 
that he had almost forgotten every language except 
Arabic. He said that they had now obtained a 
union with the Copts, and a Coptic Mass followed 



8I00T. 



25 



the Latin one. The Mission luid been established 
at Sioot four years before, by the intervention of 
Said Pacha, but had encountered great opposition 
at first from tlie Moslems. Two bodies of Christian 
saints, fresh and uncorrupted, with all the signs of 
martyrdom, had been lately discovered in the caves 
above the town; but the Mahometans would not 
allow the Christians to have them. The good old 
Franciscan had studied medicine, and thus first 
made his way among the people. Now he seems 
to be universally respected and beloved. 

Our party rode through the dirty bazaars of this 
so-called capital of Upper Egypt, and ascended to 
the caves. But the ' City of the Dead,' a little beyond 
the town, is mournfully beautiful and silent. It is 
composed of streets of tombs, of wdiite stone or mar- 
ble — the only sign of life being the jar of water left 
in fi'ont of each, to water the aloes planted in pictu- 
resque vases at the gate of each tomb. A whole 
poem might be WTitten on the thoughts suggested 
by those silent streets. It was this ' City of the 
Dead ' which is said to have occasioned the valuable 
lesson given by St. Macarius to the young man who 
had asked him ' how he could best learn indifference 
to the world's opinion ? ' He directed him to go 
to this place, and first upbraid and then flatter the 
dead. The young man did as he was bid. When 
he came back, the saint asked him ' What answer 
they had made?' The young man replied, ^None 



26 



SIOOT, 



at all.' Then, said St. Macarius, ' Go and learn 
from them neither to be moved by injuries nor flat- 
teries. If you thus die to the world and to yourself, 
vou will be2:in to live to Christ.' 

Here, for the first time, our travellers realised the 
horrors of an Egyptian conscription. A number of 
villagers coming in to the Sunday's market were at 
once seized, chained together, and thrown on the 
ground like so much ^ dead stock,' to be packed off 
on board a government vessel when the full com- 
plement had been secured. The screams and howls 
of their wives and daughters, throwing dirt on their 
heads and tearing their hair, in token of despair, 
when their frantic efforts to release them from the 
recruiting-sergeants were found ineffectual, were 
most piteous to hear. The poor fellows rarely sur- 
vive to return to their homes ; and their pay and 
food are so miserably small and scanty, that to be 
made a soldier is looked upon as worse than death. 
They maim themselves in every way to escape it — 
cutting off their forefingers, putting out their eyes, 
and the like. There is scarcely a man on board 
the boats who is not mutilated in some such manner. 

Five or six of the Sioot mosques have beaatiful 
minarets and very fine doorways with Saracenic 
mouldings, and what we should call ^ dog-tooth ' 
arches. The Pacha has a beautiful garden, but it is 
very ill-kept. In the evening, being Christmas Day, 
all the boats were illuminated with Chinese Ian- 



EKHNIM, 



27 



terns and avenues of palms ; while the sailors made 
crosses and stars of palm-leaves, to hang over the 
cabin-doors. A beautiful moonlight night added to 
the effect of these decorations, as the party rowed 
round the different ' daliahielis,' the ^ Adeste fideles' 
sounding softly across the water. 

The following morning, a favourable wind car- 
ried them on to Ekhnim, where there is another 
Franciscan missionary and church. The priest is a 
Neapolitan, and had begun his labours at Suez. His 
only companion was a native Copt, who had been 
educated at the Roman ' Propaganda.' They have 
about five hundred Catholics in their congregation, 
and a school of fifty or sixty children. The church 
Avas built in the fifteenth century, and is under the 
protection of a Christian sheik, to whom our 
travellers Vv^ere introduced, and who courteously in- 
vited them into his house. The courtyard of the 
Catholic church was crowded with native Christians 
who had thus escaped fi-om the conscription, and 
were safe under the roof of the priest. The sheik 
conducted his guests to his house, the only good 
one in Ekhnim, and furnished more or less in 
European style, as he had been at Cairo, and 
attached to the household of the late Viceroy. 
They sat on the divan, with pipes and coffee, talk- 
ing Italian with the priest, when the sheik, as 
a great honour, allowed them to see his wife, 
and aftervfards his daughter — a bride of thirteen. 



28 



EKHNIM. 



married to the son of the Coptic bishop. She was 
dressed in red, as a bride, with a red veil and a 
profusion of gold ornaments and coins strung round 
her neck and arms ; but was too shy and frightened, 
poor child ! to speak to the strangers. 

The sheik and the whole population escorted our 
travellers back to their boats with every demon- 
stration of respect ; and then the principal chiefs, 
with the priest, were invited to come on board 
and have coffee and pipes, which they accepted. 
The Franciscan Father had been for seven years at 
Castellamare, and felt the change terribly ; but said 
that the climate was good, and that the comfort 
of feeling one was working for God strengthened 
his hands when he w^as inclined to despond. He 
complained of the lamentable ignorance of the 
Coptic priests, v/ho know nothing of the history of 
their interesting old churches and convents, and 
only tell you ' they were built before their fathers 
were born ! ' The two large Coptic convents for- 
merly existing in the mountains above the town 
are deserted ; but their church at Ekhnim is the 
oldest now remaining in Egypt, and full of curious 
carving and very ancient pillars. 

Ekhnim itself is a picturesque town, with a 
number of castellated pigeon-houses ; the principal 
mosque has a fine doorway carved in stone. 
There are remains of really first-rate sculpture on 
all the principal buildings ; but the present inhabi- 



DEN DERAIL AND KENEJI. 



tants are as dirty and degraded as the rest of tlieir 
neighbours. Their only manufacture is tliat of 
pots and pans, which are beautiful in shape, l)ut so 
coarse and clumsy in material that our travellers 
did not buy any. It Avas here that Nestorius, after 
sixteen years' exile, died, and was buried, in the 
fifth century. The peasants made a present to 
the ladies of a quantity of ' kishtehj a kind of 
Devonshire cream made of buffalo's milk, and 
looked upon as a great delicacy in the East. 

On New Year's Day our travellers arrived at Den- 
derah, and crossing over the river in their small 
boat, went on donkeys to see the wonderful Temple 
of Athor. The heat v/as very great, and it required 
some courage to attempt to sketch. Important 
excavations have lately been made here ; but the 
greater portion of the large temple is still half- 
buried in the sand. 

At five o'clock the following morning the boats 
arrived at Keneh, and some of the party went 
on shore to Mass, that being also a Franciscan 
station. The church is small, but very nicely 
kept ; the place, however, is unhealthy, and the 
good Franciscan father was very low-spirited at the 
mortality among his companions. He has lately 
started a school, and has about twenty children ; 
but his life is a very desolate one, having no 
European to speak to, or anyone to sympathise in 
his work. After Mass he took our travellers to see 



30 



THEBES. 



the making of the ^ goolehs,'' or water-bottles, which 
are so famous throughout Egypt, and are made solely 
in this place, of the peculiar clay of the district, 
mixed with the ashes of the halfeh-grass. They are 
beautiful in form, and keep the water deliciously cool. 

After a breakfast of coffee and excellent dates 
at the sheik's house, the party re-embarked, and 
arrived that evening at Negaddi. Here, again, they 
found a Catholic mission. The superior, Padre 
Samuele, had been labouring there for twenty-three 
years. He was of the Lyons Mission, and was the 
only one who had survived the climate. Four of 
his brethren had died within the last twelvemonth, 
and he had just dug the grave for the last. They 
had a large and devout congregation, v>dth a school 
of one hundred and fifty children, and had been 
building a, new church of very good proportions. 
But now the good father has to labour and live 
alone. He said, however, that he had written to 
Europe for fresh workers, whom he was anxiously 
expecting. Negaddi is remarkable for its turreted 
pigeon-houses, painted white and red, which form 
an amusing contrast to the miserable mud-holes in 
which the inhabitants live. One of the party shot 
a fine pelican here, which, unfortunately, was spoiled 
in stuffing. There are numerous flocks of these 
and other birds on the low sandy shores opposite 
the village. 

The following evening found our travellers at 



TOMBS OF THE KINGS. 



Thebes, after a somewhat weary day's ^tracking/ 
owing to the dead cahii. The town itself is a sur- 
prise and disappointment. There are hterally no 
shops, no bazaar, no houses but the two or three 
belonging to the Consuls, which are built out of 
and in the midst of the temples. But the said 
temples are unrivalled for interest and beauty. 
Karnac, either by daylight or moonlight, is a build- 
ing apart from all others in the world for vastness 
of conception and magnificence of design. ' There 
were giants in those days.' The same may be said 
of the Vocal Memnon, of the Memnonium, of Me- 
demet Haboo, and the rest. The marvel is, Avhat 
has become of the people who created such things — 
who had brought civilisation, arts, and manufactures 
to such perfection that nothing modern can well sur- 
pass them. Is it not a lesson to our pride and our 
materialism, when we think of them and of ourselves, 
and then see the degraded state of the modern 
Egyptian, the utter extinction of the commonest 
art or even handicraft among them, so that it is 
scarcely possible, even in Cairo, to get an ordinary 
deal table made with a drawer in it ? 

A few days after our travellers' arrival, they started 
off on donkeys for the Tombs of the Kings, which 
are in a wild, rocky, and sandy ravine, about five 
miles the other side of the river, which is crossed by 
a picturesque ford. On their left they passed by a 
very pretty small temple called ' Dayr-el-Medeeneh.' 



3^ 



THEBES. 



The most beautiful of the tombs are those discovered 
by Belzoni and Bruce, but they are too well-known 
to need description. What struck our party the most 
were the paintings, of a purely domestic character, 
in a succession of small rooms excavated by Mr. 
Bruce, and where every detail of home-life and 
furniture is represented with the most wonderful 
accuracy. But the air in these tombs is so stifling 
and bad, that it was a great relief to have finished 
their exploration. 

After resting a little in the shade of the rocks, 
and eating their luncheon, our party started to 
return home ; but were, unfortunately, persuaded 
to try a ^ short cut ' across the mountains, by a 
path so steep and so precipitous that only the 
impossibility of retracing their steps gave them the 
courage to proceed — and this with the thermo- 
meter at 98° in the shade, and the air blowing from 
the desert being like that from the blast of a fur- 
nace ! In one place they found themselves hemmed 
in by a circle of rocks, the only means of exit being 
through a rift or chasm partly blocked by huge 
loose stones, up which they were literally hoisted 
by main force, by their Arab guides ; who, as in the 
ascent of the Pyramids, put their hands under their 
arms, and so sprung them fi-om stone to stone. 
When, at last, they reached the plains which they 
had left in the morning, exhaustion compelled 
them to lie down for some hours before they could 



THEBES. 



33 



resume tlieir nicirch. The fields were emenild-grecu 
Avitli the spring crops, the giant ^ Vocal Memnon ' 
standing out grandly and alone in the midst of 
the plain ; while a quantity of large white-winged 
vultures were feeding in the meadows, and offering 
tempting shots to the sportsman. 

The next morning the obliging English Con- 
sul, Mustapha Aga, placed his dromedaries at 
the disposal of the party, for an expedition at some 
little distance from the town ; but their first ex- 
perience of riding on camels was not satisfactory. 
Even after the difficulties of mounting had been 
overcome (when you are first thrown violently 
forw^ard and then backward, as the beast, who has 
laid down to receive his burden, rises first on his 
hind-legs and then on the fore, with a jerk impossible 
to describe), the long, low, swinging motion of the 
animal produces, on people unaccustomed to the 
peculiar action, an effect exactly like sea-sickness, 
and which it requires weeks of practice to conquer 
altogether. In the evening Mustapha held a recep- 
tion, and introduced dancing-girls for the amuse- 
ment of his guests ; but this exhibition Avas not 
according to English taste, and the ladies returned 
early to their dahahieh. Lady Duff-Gordon was 
staying at Thebes for her health, and living in a 
pretty little apartment of the French Consul's house, 
in the heart of one of the old temples. There is no 
Catholic mission at Thebes, but a Coptic bishop, 

D 



34 



A880UAN. 



who received our travellers very kindly, showed 
them his church, and gave them coffee on a terrace 
overlooking the Nile. This evening was ^twelfth- 
night/ and the boats were again illuminated and 
decorated with palms, the w^hole having a beautiful 
effect reflected in the water. 

After spending a week at Thebes, our travellers 
sailed on to Assouan, visiting the Temples of Esneh, 
Edfoo, and Komom-Boo on their way, and coming 
into the region of crocodiles and pelicans, and of 
the Theban or dom palm — less graceful than the 
date-palm, but still beautiftil, and bearing a large 
nutlike fruit in fine hanging clusters. It grows in 
a peculiar way, the stem being bifurcated at a 
certain height, and the top crowned with fanlike 
leaves, looking at a distance like ostrich-feathers. 
Between Edfoo and Thebes are shown some caves, 
in one of which St. Paul, the first hermit, passed so 
many years of penitence and prayer. He was dis- 
covered by St. Anthony in his old age, when tempted 
to vain-glory — God having revealed to him that 
there was a recluse more perfect than himself, whom 
he was to go into the desert and seek. A beautiful 
picture in the gallery at Madrid, by Velasquez, re- 
presents the meeting of the two venerable saints, 
the dinner brought to them by the raven, and the 
final interment of St. Paul by St. Anthony in the 
cloak of St. Athanasius, the lions assisting to dig 
the grave. 



PHILJE. 



35 



Assouan is, as it were, the gate of the Cataracts, 
and is on the borders of Nubia, the great desert of 
Syene being to the left of the vilkige. The Nubian 
caravans were tented on the shore, and tempting 
the Europeans with daggers, knives, ostrich-eggs, 
poisoned arrows, rhinoceros-hide shields, lances, and 
monkeys. The climate was delicious. There is no 
country in the world to be compared with Egypt at 
this time of the year, because, in spite of the heat, 
there is a lightness and exhilaration in the air which 
makes everyone well and hungry. To an artist the 
colouring is equally perfect. No one who has not 
been there can imagine what the sunrises and sun- 
sets are, especially the afterglow at sunset. No 
artificial red, orange, or purple can approach it. 
Then the gracefulness of the palms on the banks, 
the rosy colour of the mountains, the picturesque 
sakeels or water-wheels, and the still prettier sha- 
doof, with its mournful sound, which seems as the 
wail of the patient slave who works it day and 
night, and thereby produces the exquisite tender 
green vegetation on the banks of the river, due to 
this artificial irrigation alone: — all are a continual 
feast to the eye of the painter. And if all this is 
felt below Assouan, what can be said of Philas — 
beautiful PhilcC — that 'dream of loveliness,' as a 
modern writer justly calls it ! 

Our travellers, while waiting for the interminable 
arrangements with the Reis of the Cataracts, took 

D 2 



36 



PHILJE. 



the road along the shore ; and after passing through 
a succession of curious and picturesque villages, 
arrived at one called Mahatta, where they hired a 
little boat to take them across to the beautiful 
island. Rocks of the most fantastic shapes are 
piled up on both sides of the shore ; but when once 
you have emerged from these into the deep water, 
^ Pharaoh's Bed ' and the other temples stand out 
against the sky in all their wondrous beauty. Philse 
was the burial-place of Osiris, and ^ By him who 
sleeps in Philse ! ' was the common oath of the ancient 
Egyptians. The temples are too well known by 
drawings to need description ; but what is less often 
mentioned by travellers is that the larger one, ori- 
ginally dedicated to the Sun, was used for a long 
time by the Christians as a church. Consecration- 
crosses are deeply engraved on every one of those 
grand old pillars ; and at one end is an altar, with a 
cross in the centre, in white marble, and a piscina 
at the side, with a niche for the sacred elements ; 
and above this recess is a beautiful cross, deeply cut 
in the stone, together with the emblem of the Yine. 
The cross is also let in into the principal gateways. 
There was an Italian inscription commemorating 
the arrival of the first Roman mission sent by 
Gregory XVL, and a tablet in French recording the 
arrival of the French army there under Napoleon in 
1799, signed by General Davoust. 

The gentlemen of the party determined to pitch 



VHILJFj. 



37 



their tents in the island till the question of the i){iss- 
ing of the Cataracts was decided ; and wliile this 
operation was going on, one of the ladies sat down 
to sketch. She was quietly painting, luxuriating in 
the beauty and silence around her, and watching 
the sun setting gloriously behind the temple, when 
all of a sudden a deep bell boomed across the water, 
and was repeated at due intervals three times. It 
was the ' Angelus.' Even the least Catholic of the 
party was struck and impressed by this unexpected 
sound, so unusual in a country where bells are un- 
known, and the only call for prayer is from the 
minaret top. Instinctively they knelt, and then 
arose the question, ^ Where could the sound come 
from ? ' There was no sign of habitation or human 
beings, either on the island itself or on the opposite 
shores, and the dragoman himself was equally at 
fault. At last, on questioning the boatmen, they 
found that behind some hills a short distance off 
was a convent — a sort of ' convalescent home ' for 
the sick monks of the Barri Mission. 

The English lady determined at once to go and 
see it, and on arriving at the long low stone building, 
found that the Franciscan father, who was almost its 
solitary occupant, had just returned from the White 
Nile, being one of a mission, to the blacks in the 
Barri country, a month's journey south of Khartoun. 
He had been at death's door from fever ; and on 
leaving Khartoun for Phite (an eighteen days' ride 



38 



THE BABBI MISSION. 



on camels), had been attacked by dysentery, and left 
for dead in the burning desert by the caravan. Only 
a faithful black convert remained by his side, and he 
felt that his last hour was come ; when the arrival 
of poor Captain Speke, on his way home from one 
of his last explorations, changed the state of things. 
With true Christian charity, our countryman at once 
ordered a halt, and devoted himself to the nursing 
and doctoring of the dying monk ; so that in a few 
days he was so far recovered as to be able to resume 
his journey, and arrived safely at Philge. He said 
he owed his life, under God, entirely to the kind- 
ness of this Englishman ; and his only anxiety 
seemed to be to show his gratitude, by doing every- 
thing he could for those of his nation. He invited 
our travellers to take up their abode in the convent, 
and gave them a most interesting account of the 
missionary work of his order. The monks have 
chartered a small vessel, which they have called the 
' Stella Matutina,' and which plies up and down the 
river, and enables them to visit their stations on 
each bank. But they have every kind of hardship 
to encounter from the treachery, stupidity, or posi- 
tive hostility of the different tribes, from the intense 
heat, and, above all, from the deadly malaria, which 
had carried off seventy of their brethren in three 
years. Bat there are ever fresh soldiers of this 
noble army ready and eager to fill up the ranks. 
The ladies rode home by way of the desert, and 



MASS IN NUBIA. 



39 



reached tlieir boats in safety. The next morning, 
at five o'clock, the same road was resumed by two 
of the party, who were anxious to reach tlie convent 
in time for the early Mass. They met nothing on 
their seven-miles' ride but a hygena, who was de- 
vouring a camel which they had left dying the night 
before. The little convent chapel was very nice ; 
and among the vestments sent by the oeiivre apos- 
toUque, and worked by the ladies of the Leopoldstadt 
Mission, one of the party recognised a court-dress 
which had been presented for the purpose by a 
Hungarian friend of hers at Eome. It was strange 
to find it again in the depths of Nubia ! The Mass 
was served by two little woolly-haired negro boys 
fi:om the good old Father's school, whose attachment 
to him was like that of a dog to its master. He 
was in some trouble as to finding clothes for them. 
The Nubians dispense with everything of the kind, 
except a fringed leathern girdle round the loins, 
decorated with shells. The children have not even 
that. However, in the dahahieh a piece of rhodo- 
dendron-patterned chintz was found, carefully sent 
fi:om England for the covering of the divans ; and 
with that, certain articles of dress were manufac- 
tured, gorgeous in colouring, and therefore perfect 
in native eyes, however ludicrous and incongruous 
they might appear to Europeans. 

The following day was fixed for one of the boats 
to go up the Cataracts, and the party started early 



40 



PHILJEJ AMD THE CATARACTS. 



for Avhat is called the ^ first gate/ to see the opera- 
tion. No one who has not lived for some months 
with this ' peuple criard,' as Lamartine calls them, 
can imagine the din and screaming of the Arabs as 
each dangerous rapid is passed ; the reis all the 
time shouting and storming, and leaping from one 
stone to the other, like one possessed. But the 
ascent is child's play compared to the descent. So 
many accidents have happened in the latter, and so 
many boats have been swamped, that the captains 
now insist on the passengers landing on an island 
near, while their boats rush down the rapids. It is 
a beautiful sight, the way those apparently unwieldy 
vessels are steered, and clear the rocks as it were with 
a bound, amidst the frantic yells and cheers of the 
whole population. A number of men, for a trifling 
baksheesh, swam down the current on logs — one with 
his little child before him ; but an Englishman, at- 
tempting to do it a year or two ago, was caught in 
the whirlpool, and instantly drowned. After watch- 
ing this exciting operation, the party dined together 
at Philse in their tent, and then rowed round and 
round the island by moonlight, which exceeded in 
loveliness all they had hitherto seen : the vividness 
of the reflections was beyond belief, and reading or 
writing was as easy as at noon-day. 

One of the ladies availed herself of the kind 
Father Michael Angelo's proposal, and slept at the 
convent. He gave her some curious arms, and hip- 



ISLAND OF ELEPHANTINE, 



41 



popotamus tcctli from the White Nile, and some 
ostrich eggs, arranged as drinking-vessels with sliells 
and leatlier strips — his sole furniture in his native 
tent. The English lady, in return, gave him a 
quantity of medicines, which he eagerly accepted 
for his mission, to which he was hoping to return. 

The next day. Father Angelo escorted them to see 
the Island of Biggeh with its picturesque temple, and 
then to the quarries of Syene, where an uncut obelisk 
of great size still remains embedded in the sand. 
Some idea was entertained in England of using it 
for Prince Albert's monument ; but the difficulty of 
carriage and the distance from the river would make 
its transfer almost impossible. Far simpler would 
be the proposal of taking the Luxor obelisk, already 
given to the English by Mehemet Ali, the sister one 
to that successfully transported to Paris by the 
French. It is a thousand pities to leave it where it 
is, and to miss the occasion of adding so unique 
and valuable a monument to our art treasures. 

The last day of our travellers' stay at Assouan 
was spent in making a few purchases, visiting the 
old castle overlooking the river, and exploring the 
island of Elephantine, which offers beautiful sketch- 
ing. But the inhabitants are even more importu- 
nate, as beggars, than their confraternity at Thebes ; 
and it required all the eloquence of the good priest 
to prevent their appropriating the contents of the 
traveller's paint-box. She purchased from them 



42 DEGRADED CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE, 



many strings of bright beads, which constitute their 
sole idea of female dress. 

A curious funeral took place in the evening, an 
empty boat being carried for the dead man, who 
was buried with his arms and his spear ; while a 
funeral dirge was sung over him by his tribe. It 
was the more curious, as being identical with the 
hieroglyphics of similar scenes in the Tombs of the 
Kings. Many of the customs of these people are 
purely pagan : for instance, when an Arab makes 
his coffee, he pours out the first three cups on the 
ground, as a libation to the sheik who first in- 
vented the beverage. 

The slave-trade, though nominally abolished by 
the Yiceroy of Egypt, is carried on vigorously at 
Assouan. The governor goes through the form of 
confiscating the cargo and arresting the owners of 
the ship ; but, after a few days, a handsome bak- 
sheesh on the part of the slaveowner and captain 
settles the matter; and their live cargo is trans- 
ported to Cairo, there to be disposed of in the 
harems, or elsewhere. 

To the Catholic traveller in this country, nothing 
can be more melancholy than the utterly degraded 
condition of the people, who are really very little 
removed from the brute creation. Years of ill- 
usage, hardship, and wrong have ground down the 
fellah to the abject condition of a slave ; and the 
utter extinction of Christianity among them seems 



THE FRANCISCAN FATHjERS. 



43 



to preclude all hope of their ever rising again. Yet 
Egypt was once the home of saints. From Alex- 
andria — the seat of all that was most learned and 
refined, the see of St. Athanasius and St. Alexander, 
and St. Cyril and St. John the Almoner, and a 
Avhole string of holy patriarchs, bishops, and martyrs 
— up to the very desert of Syene, peopled with an- 
chorites, the whole land teemed with saints. And 
now, the little handful of Franciscan Fathers, scat- 
tered here and there, sowing once more the good seed 
at the cost of their lives, is all that remains to bear 
witness to the truth. Earnestly did the good old 
Franciscan father plead for the prayers of the tra- 
vellers, that the Spirit of God might once more 
breathe in the hearts of this people, and bring them 
out of darkness into His marvellous Light. And 
then they parted — never more to meet, in all pro- 
bability, in this world ; but each, it may be humbly 
hoped, labouring for the same end, holding the same 
faith, clinging to the same hope. ^ One ship sails 
faster — another slower — but they all come to one 
haven.' 



44 



THE NILE VOYAGE, 



CHAPTER II. 

FROM CAIRO TO JERUSALEM. 

The descent of the Nile must always be less inte- 
resting than the ascent — not only from the fact of 
the scenery on the banks having been already seen 
and explored, but also because the rowing motion 
is far less agreeable and soothing than the dolce 
far niente gliding along of the dahahieh under 
sail, or the still more quiet though somewhat 
monotonous act of ' tracking.' But this little book 
does not pretend to give an account of the antiquities 
and curiosities which form the principal charm of a 
Nile voyage. They have been described, so often 
and so admirably, by Wilkinson and by Lane, by 
Mr. Hoskyns and Mrs. Carey, by Miss Beaufort, and 
by half a dozen other authors, both ancient and 
modern, that any further account would be worse 
than useless. 

Our party spent their time in drawing or shoot- 
ing, according to their respective tastes; but the 
pleasure of one of them was a good deal damped 
by being stung by a scorpion while sketching in 
the small alabaster temple adjoining one of the 
gateways of Karnac, close to the femous Salt Lake 



CAIRO BOATMEN, 



45 



— a sting which imprisoned her to tlic sofa of her 
dahahich for the following three weeks, and pre- 
vented her sharing with the rest in the enjoyment 
of visiting Memphis and Abydos, which had been 
reserved for the homeward voyage, and where the 
excavations have opened out a mine of fresh in- 
terest to the antiquarian. 

It was with real sorrow that our travellers, soon 
after, arrived at Cairo, and had to take leave of the 
boats, which had been their floating homes for four 
months ; and, still worse, of the crews of each, with 
whom daily and hourly intercourse had naturally 
produced a tie and an interest, now to be dissolved 
for ever. Poor fellows ! their lot is a hard one, toil- 
ing all the day long under a burning sun ; or else, 
when the boat grounds on a sandbank, standing for 
hours up to their waists in w^ater on bitter nights, 
till they are shrammed with cold — with no beds but 
the hard deck, no covering but their ragged hurnoiis, 
and no food but bread, hard as a rock, which must 
be soaked in water to be eaten, and with a kind of 
clover which they ^ graze ' upon, like cows, on land- 
ing ! Yet is this lot happiness itself compared to 
the fate of those who are not engaged by any ' reis,' 
or captain, for the Nile voyage, and who are conse- 
quently subject to the chances of the much-dreaded 
conscription. In spite of the oppression and ill- 
usage of centuries, the Egyptian 'fellahs' (or 
peasants) are a light-hearted, cheerful, and patient 



46 



CAIRO BOATMEN. 



race, grateful for the least kindness, and bearing 
their manifold trials, both mental and physical, 
with that ^fatalist' Mahometan endurance (^kismet), 
which often puts to shame our Christian faith and 
fortitude. 

There were several good singers among the two 
crews of our travellers' boats : one, especially, was 
paid by the rest to cheer them in that way while 
the others toiled; and in spite of the monotony and 
peculiarity of their low choruses, they are wonder- 
fully sweet and, occasionally, beautifully plaintive 
in their melody. Their instruments are generally 
the tambourine or ^ tar,'' and a kind of drum, which 
they call a ' dardhuhkeh,' made of either wood or 
earth, and covered over with fish-skin. They have 
also a kind of double reed pipe called a * zummdrdh,' 
which emits a somev/hat harsh and disagreeable 
sound, rather like a Scotch bagpipe. But the 
' Hay-a-lee-sah,' g^i^tly echoed from boat to boat 
by their respective crews, is, like the sakeel or the 
shadoof , one of the most beautiful and characteristic 
of the Nile sounds, and as grateful to the ear of the 
lover of Egyptian voyages, as the sheep-bell on the 
sloping downs to the Wiltshire farmer. 

The honesty of these boatmen is proverbial. Your 
dragoman cheats and robs you without mercy ; and, 
in fact, the one who had accompanied our travellers, 
although the bearer of a certificate stating that he 
had previously served with H.R.H. the Prince of 



THE NILE VOYAGE. 



47 



Wales, to whom he had given great satisfaction, 
was obhged to be brought before the English Consul 
on their ]'eturn to Cairo, and threatened with being 
taken to the Pacha, before he would disgorge a 
portion of his ill-gotten gains. But the sailors on 
no single occasion were ever detected in the smallest 
larceny. Everything was naturally left about the 
cabins, in the cramped accommodation of a Nile 
boat, where presses or drawers are almost un- 
known ; but nothing was ever missing. 

The brutality of the officials on the banks towards 
these poor fellows exceeds belief. On one occasion 
the dcihabiehhad approached too near a government 
powder-magazine ; and one of the sailors, Avho had 
landed to fetch water or milk, was seized by the 
garrison of the fort, his turban torn off, and himself 
most cruelly beaten. It required all the ^ prestige ' 
of the English name, and the Firman of the Viceroy 
of Egypt (which our party had fortunately brought 
with them), to rescue the poor fellow fi^om their 
savage clutches. 

The three weeks spent in Cairo were almost 
entirely occupied, by the leader of the expedition, in 
providing the outfit necessary for the future tent- 
life of the party ; and let no one imagine that this 
is an easy or expeditious matter. Nothing in the 
East is ever ready-made. If you want tents, you 
must first go to the bazaar, where the thread is 
woven ; then to the one where the canvas is sold ; 



4« 



'SHOPPING' IN CAIRO, 



then to a third, where the ropes are to be found ; 
then to a fourth, for pegs and poles. It is the same 
with all your furniture. The metal of your pot or 
kettle must first be weighed and bought in the 
Copper Bazaar, and then manufactured, into the 
shape or article you w^ant, somewhere else. Your 
mattrass must be made up at home, after a whole 
day has been spent in haggling for the wool in one 
place, or for the thread in another ; and for the 
ticking in a third, and for the tassels in a fourth — 
and so on, ad infinitum ! Add to this, the natural 
slowness of an oriental, his indifference to your pur- 
chasing anything if it should give him the least 
trouble ; the way he leaves you to fish for yourself 
among his miscellaneous stores, at the back of the 
seat on which he is squatted, rather than put down 
his long pipe for a moment, to reach down for you the 
article of which you may be in search ; and last, not 
least, the quantity of coffee which must be imbibed 
before any kind of settlement can be arrived at as 
to price — all this renders ' shopping ' in Cairo one of 
the most wearisome and trying occupations which 
it is possible to conceive, especially to people in a 
hurry, as most English travellers generally are.* 

* Let no travellers undertake any transaction of this sort in company 
with, tlieir dragoman, unless money be a useless consideration to them. 
The tradesman is compelled to give these functionaries so large a 
percentage, that the price of everything to the purchaser is nearly 
doubled. On first arriving at Cairo, certain ' ahhas ' or burnous were 
bought by the ladies in company with their dragoman. On returning, 



CAIRO. 



49 



At last, thanks to the kindness of an English 

gentleman long resident in Cairo, Mr. A , five 

tents were got together and pitched, on approval, 
in the square opposite the Hotel. One was a gor- 
geous aftair, sky-blue, with red-and- white devices all 
over it, looking very like the tent of a travelling 
wild-beast show. But as it was the only large and 
roomy one, and was capable of containing the four 
ladies and their beds and bedding, it was finally 
decided to keep it, and to make it the drawing-room 
by day, reserving the more modest ones for the 
gentlemen of the party, as well as for the servants 
and the cooking apparatus. Their numbers were so 
gTcat, with the ^ attml ' or ^ tent-pitchers,' and the 
other necessary camp-followers, that our travellers 
decided to dispense with chairs and tables — rather 
to the despair of a rheumatic member of the com- 
pany ! — and to content themselves with squatting 
on their carpets for their meals in true oriental 
fashion, and making use of the two wicker-baskets 
(which were to sling on each side of the mules, 
and contained the one dress for Sunday allowed to 
each lady) for dressing and washhand-stands. A 
cord fastened across the tents at night served as a 

two or tliree more were wanted, and tlie same bazaar was resorted 
to ; but experience had made them wiser, and they went alone. To 
their surprise, the price asked for the identical articles was exactly 
half what they had previously paid ; and on expressing their astonish- 
ment, the owner simply and straightforwardly gave the reason above 
mentioned, which they found to be the actual fact. 

E 



50 



CAIRO. 



hanging wardrobe, to prevent their clothes getting 
wet on the (sometimes) damp ground; some tin jugs 
and basins, with a smarter set in brass of a beautiful 
shape (called in Cairo a ' tisht' and 'ibreek'), to- 
gether with a few ^ nargeeleh' pipes for the use of their 
guests on state occasions, completed their furnishing 
arrangements. They had brought from their boats 
a ' Union Jack,' so as to place themselves under 
the protection of their country's flag, and also an 
elaborate ^Wyvern,' the fabrication of which, in 
gorgeous green, with a curly tail, had afforded them 
great amusement in their start four months before. 

This life in tents is a free and charming way 
of existence, and, except in wet weather, was one 
of unmixed enjoyment to the whole party. The 
time spent by the leaders of the expedition in 
providing these necessary articles, was occupied by 
the younger ones in buying presents in the bazaars : 
nov/ struggling through the goldsmiths' quarter (the 
narrowest in all Cairo), where you buy your gold 
by the carat, and then have it manufactured before 
your eyes into whatever form you please ; now trying 
on bright ' kaffirsj made of the pure Mecca silk, 
and generally of brown and yellow shades, with the 
' akgal,' a kind of cord of camel's-hair which binds 
them round the head ; or else the graceful burnous, 
with their beautifiilly-blended colours and soft 
camel's-hair texture ; or the many bright-coloured 
slippers ; or, leaving the silk and stuff bazaar, thread- 



CAIRO BAZAARS. 



51 



ing their way through the stalls containing what \vc 
should call in England ' curiosities ; ' and selecting 
the beautiful little silver filagree or enamel cups 
called ' zcirfs,' which hold the delicate tiny Dresden 
ones within — meant to contain that most delicious 
of all drinks, the genuine Eastern coffee, made 
without sugar or milk, but as unlike the horrible 
beverage known by that name in England as can 
well be imagined ! In the same stalls were to be 
found beautiful Turkish rosaries, of jasper and agate, 
or sweet-scented woods, with long-shaped bottles 
of attar of roses, enamelled ' nargeelehs' and amber- 
mouthed pipes, and octagonal little tables made 
of tortoiseshell inlaid with mother-of-pearl. 

Leaving these narrow courts, which are as thronged 
as the ' Passage des Panoramas ' at Paris, and brush- 
ing by stalls full of oriental costumes and second- 
hand clothes (gorgeous in colour, but apt to leave 
unpleasant animal reminiscences with their pur- 
chasers), they turned into a wider square than the 
rest, and found themselves unexpectedly in the Carpet 
Bazaar ; and there they had to choose, fi:"om among 
a bewildering mass of beautiful oriental patterns — 
gTcen, red, blue, and yellow — those charmingly com- 
fortable little rugs, which were to be hereafter, for 
so many days and nights, the companions of their 
travels, and their preservative from cold and damp 
in their distant wanderings. 

To those who have not been in the East, it is 

E 2 



52 



CAIRO BAZAARS. 



difficult to convey an idea of what is there meant 
by a ' shop.' It is simply a recess in the wall, in 
front of which is a stone slab called a ' mastabahj 
covered with a carpet, on which the shopman 
squats and smokes his pipe, with his coffee-cup 
by his side, and sometimes (should he be of a 
devout turn of mind) with a manuscript of the 
Koran, from which he mumbles certain passages. 
If, as in the narrow goldsmiths' quarter, a camel 
or donkey should be taking the same road as 
yourself, you have no alternative and no escape 
but to mount up hurriedly on the counter to get out 
of the way. It is hard for an Englishman, with 
some faint ideas of law and justice, and of the 
^ liberty of the subject,' to reconcile himself to the 
treatment of the natives by the ' sais ' or groom, 
who, in a white full-sleeved shirt, red silk waistcoat, 
bright-coloured sash, bare legs, and red slippers, 
runs before you to clear the way, and strikes out 
unmercifully, right and left, on old and young, to 
ensure you a fi^ee passage ! But after some ex- 
perience, and occasionally trying to go without one, 
the ladies of the party were compelled to own that 
it was scarcely possible or safe to dispense with 
his services. 

When the charms of the bazaars had been ex- 
hausted, their kind and obliging Armenian friend, 
Hekekeyan Bey (a gentleman well known through- 
out the East for his literary acquirements and Mez- 



CAIRO. 



53 



zofanti knowledge of languages), would place liis 
dromedary at tlieir disposal : a noble beast, with 
even and rapid paces, whose refection before a 
journey used to be a sheep ^roasted whole on a 
toast ' (as the cookery books have it) , and stuffed 
with dates and pistachio-nuts ! Or else the party 
w^ould sit and drink coffee and lemonade in the 
' JEsbeykieh,' as the large square is called, round 
which are clustered the hotels, the consuls' houses, 
and most of the European residents. The English 
Consul-General is an exception to the general rule, 
as he has taken a villa a little outside the town, on 
the Shoubra Eoad, the approach to which is by a 
fine avenue of sycamore-figs, which line the road 
on each side, and form a very pleasant shelter from 
the heat of the noonday sun. 

Nothing could exceed the kindness aiid courtesy 

of Sir E. C to every one of his countrymen 

or countrywomen ; as well as that of his lamented 

sister, Mrs. V- , who lived with him and kept 

his house. His hospitable home was always open 
to the many stray Englishmen and English- 
women whom health or fancy had led to those 
distant shores ; and his ready help was never 
w^anting — not only in suggesting many little ad- 
ditional comforts and luxuries on board the boats, 
but in settling the various difficulties entailed 
on the stranger, ignorant of both the people and 
language, by the intrigues and roguery of the 



54 



CAIRO, 



owners of the boats and of the dragomans, who vie 
with each other in fleecing the luckless English- 
man, unless warned by the friendly Consul of their 
machinations. There are also a great many minuti^ 
to be attended to in drawing up the contract for 
the Nile voyage — such as stipulating for the crews 
to stop only at certain stations to bake, and not 
infringing the rule of keeping clear of the poop- 
deck, and the like ; which are vital to the comfort 
of travellers, but which would probably not have 
occurred to them without the kind thoughtfulness 
of the Consul-General, who seemed to multiply 
himself for the assistance of his numerous fellow- 
countrymen. 

Our party Avere specially indebted to him, among 
other things, for the loan of a charming Scotch 
terrier, yclept ' Jack ' — a model of his race, and 
whose taste for rats made him invaluable to the 
occupants of the boats. He escaped all perils by 
land and by water during his stay with them, but 
on his return to his master a sad fate befell him. 
Forgetting the proverb about ' those who in quarrels 
interpose,' Jack, like many wiser heads than himself, 
chose to take part in a canine fi-ay at Cairo. The 
dogs in the East live and hunt in packs, jealously 
guarding their respective ' quai^tiers ' from all in- 
truders ; so that poor Jack's (no doubt well-meant) 
interference was resented by both sides ; and the 
end of it was that both sets of combatants fell upon 



CAIRO, 



SS 



liiin, and so mauled and wounded him that he oidy 
crawled back to his master's kennel to die ! 

Whilst the unavoidable delays consequent on 
oriental habits rather tried the patience of some of 
our party, they were rewarded, to a certain degree, 
by becoming acquainted with several native gentle- 
men and residents in Cairo, from one of whom they 
obtained some reliable statistics about Egypt, and 
various characteristic anecdotes of the people. 

The cultivated area is six millions of acres only, the 
rest of the country being desert. The population 
has dwindled down to about three millions, living in 
great misery and poverty ; and the revenue does not 
-exceed four million pounds sterling. The present 
Pacha, however, is a man of greater shrewdness in 
worldly business than his predecessors, and is said 
to be excessively fond of money. Large grants of 
land in lieu of pensions had been made by the late 
Viceroy to well-deserving persons ; but the present 
Pacha, on ascending the throne, resumed 200,000 
acres of this land by an act of arbitrary power, which 
land he cultivates for his own benefit and by forced 
labour. He has vastly improved this property, and 
receives from it 400,000^. a year, or 21 an acre ; but 
the act in itself has rendered him very unpopular."^' 

* Every one is bound to bear witness to tlie present Viceroy's great 
kindness and courtesy towards the English who are induced by health 
or other causes to spend the winter in Egypt. He places his boats 
and his shooting-grounds at their disposal, allows ladies to visit his 
Harem, and in every way does his utmost to contribute to the comf jrt 
and convenience of his guests. 



56 



CAIRO. 



As an instance of the strange sort of way in 
which justice is administered in this country, the 
following story is told. A certain French gentleman 
entrusted an Englishman with 90?. to buy a horse 
for him. The Englishman, accordingly, gave the 
money to a native, whom he considered thoroughly 
trustworthy, with orders to go into Arabia and 
there purchase the animal. The Arab, however, 
spent most of the money in his own devices, 
and returned to Cairo, after a few months, with 
a wretched ^ rosinante,' such as would appear at a 
Spanish bull-fight. The Englishman, immensely 
disgusted, returned the 90/. to his French friend, 
simply saying that he had failed in executing his 
commission ; but he determined to try and recover 
it from the Arab. So he went and told the whole 
matter to the Governor of Cairo, who appointed his 
deputy as judge. While the case was being tried, 
dinner-time came ; and the judge, the prosecutor, and 
the prisoner all sat down together, and dined in a 
friendly way. No embarrassment was caused thereby ; 
but after dinner, the judge, turniug to the prisoner, 
quietly said : ^ Can you pay the Frank gentleman 
the money you owe him ? ' On receiving a simple 
reply in the negative, the judge added, ' Then you 
had better go off at once to prison, and delay this 
gentleman no longer.' The Arab went without a 
word, and remained in this miserable place (for 
the prisons are infamous) for two months, after 



SIIOUBRA. 



57 



which his brother took his phice for him. Finally, 
the money Avas paid by instalments. 

One afternoon our travellers made an expedition 
to ' Shoubra/ the summer palace and gardens of the 
Viceroy's Harem. The first time they attempted it, 
they were turned back (in spite of an important- 
looking document conveying the necessary permis- 
sion), and saw likewise a number of labourers 
driven like a flock of sheep out of the gardens, into 
which the inmates of the Harem had suddenly and, 
it seemed, unexpectedly, expressed an intention to 
walk. ^ No one may look on the face of these ladies 
and live ! ' was the explanation given by the porter 
to the enquiry of one of the gentlemen of the party 
as to the cause of this proceeding. The second 
time they were more fortunate, and found that the 
garden was beautifully laid out with flowers and 
rare exotics ; while passion-flowers, ipomasas, and 
hibiscus crawled over every wall. In the centre is 
a large cloistered marble court, which surrounds a 
spacious bath, with jets issuing fi^om the mouths of 
marble lions at the four corners. The gardener is 
a Scotchman, and justifies the wisdom of the Vice- 
roy's choice. He kindly showed our travellers over 
the whole place, giving them beautiful nosegays on 
parting, and supplying them with flowers in Cairo 
during the whole time of their stay. The wilder 
portions of the garden are like those of St. Elmo, 
the Due de Montpensier's charming palace at Seville ; 



58 



BOTJLAK. 



and have been converted, like his, into a kind of 
'Jar din des Plantes,' fall of strange and curious 
birds and beasts. 

The drive home, through the avenues which 
line the Shoubra Eoad, was quite beautiful ; the 
setting sun lighting up the banks of the Nile, and 
throwing gorgeous tints on the distant Pyramids, 
and exquisite reflections from the white and 
tawny sails of the dahahiehs on the glistening 
waters below. Before returning home, they went 
once more to ' Boulak,' that wonderfully busy scene 
of embarkation and disembarkation, and of noisy 
Arab vociferation ; where, at night and in the 
early morning, you literally walk on hundreds of 
human bodies, sleeping au clair de la hme, rolled 
up in their burnous, and apparently unconscious 
of and indifferent to your passage. Preziosi, that 
wonderful Eastern painter, has given a charming 
and lifelike representation of this spot and scene 
under the glow of an Eastern setting san. 

Owing to the delicate health of one of the party, 
and the failure of an arrangement entered into witli 
the Consul-General to proceed by water to Tor, on 
the Eed Sea, where camels were to meet them for 
the expedition to Mount Sinai, the plan of going to 
Syria by the long desert was reluctantly given up ; 
and it was judged more prudent to proceed to Pales- 
tine by the far less interesting route of Alexandria 
and Jaffa. Bidding a sorrowful ' good-bye,' therefore. 



ALEXANDRIA. 



59 



to beautiful Cairo, which it would take a twelvemonth 
thoroughly to know and enjoy, our travellers started 
once more by rail for Alexandria, to take ship the 
following morning for the Holy Land. This time 
they had learned wisdom by experience, and taken 
pains to ascertain exactly the cost of their journey, 
and of the transmission of their baggage ; for, unless 
some such arrangements be made beforehand, the 
sum charged on that line is perfectly exorbitant, 
and depends, apparently, on the individual caprice 
of the station-master for the time being. Both our 

travellers and Lord S had been made to pay 

50^. each for their luggage on arriving at Cairo, 
about treble the cost of conveying the said boxes 
the whole way from England to Alexandria ! 

Still lame, and suffering from her old Karnac 
sting, one of the ladies sought the kind care and 
skill of the St. Vincent de Paul Sisters at Alex- 

*■ The mercliants at Cairo are now making a complaint and agitation, 
as tlie Paclia will not allow tliem to make use of tlie railroad to carry 
tlieir cotton to tlie Alexandrian market, till lie lias sent down his own 
crops and sold them at a high premium. This is one of the many 
inconveniences arising from the railway being the Pacha's private 
property. It is frightfully mismanaged, and as the officials are continu- 
ally (almost Aveekly) changed, their only chance of making a little profit 
is by cheating the passengers while they have the opportunity. 

Whenever the Pacha or any of his family wish to travel, the ordinary 
trains are stopped. Formerly, also, the Pacha's special train used to 
wait a couple of hours e7i route, for him to take his afternoon siesta, 
and then the whole traffic was, of course, delayed. But an accident 
which occurred not long ago, when the proper signals had been 
omitted, and his carriage was on the point of being run into by the 
ordinary passenger-train, frightened him into some consideration for 
the safety and convenience of others. 



6o 



JAFFA. 



andria, whose hard-won experience in Eastern 
ailings renders them invaluable in suggesting the 
proper remedies. Fever and cholera had thinned 
their ranks since the English lady's previous visit 
to the community ; but this was announced to her 
with thankfulness and joy rather than with any 
other feeling — a few more martyrs of charity had 
gone home. A beautiful Benediction Service, in 
the midst of their joyous band of little ones, and a 
few loving words at parting, are the last recollec- 
tions in the heart of the traveller of those loving 
sisters. Yes, the last on earth ; for the cholera re- 
turned the following spring with redoubled vio- 
lence, and those she had known and loved best 
among those ' white cornettes ' went then to re- 
ceive their reward. 

The next morning saw our travellers fairly em- 
barked on board the ^ Danube ' (French steamer) 
for Jaffa— a charming boat, but with a somewhat 
grumpy captain, a regular vieitx loiip de mer, who 
was out of humour because of the number of reli- 
gious on board, which he seemed to think would 
bring him bad luck. Among their fellow-pas- 
sengers were the ' Custode dei Santi Luoghi,' to 
whom the English lady joyfully presented her letter 
of introduction from His Eminence Cardinal CuUen, 
which at once ensured her a kind and courteous 
reception ; and the Bishop Mastajo of Central Africa, 
who had ivalked for two months through his Abys- 



JAFFA. 



6i 



sinian diocese to Aden, so that lie might, in spite 
of his great age, see, before he died, the actual spots 
hallowed by the steps of Our Divine Lord. 

It was on March 1 (St. David's Day) that our 
travellers first set foot on what is so emphatically 
and rightly called the ' Holy Land.' * The landing at 
Jaffa is very dangerous. There is no harbour, and 
only one narrow entrance between two low rocks, 
on which the surf, even in calm weather, beats 
heavily. In bad weather, landing is simply impos- 
sible, and some English ladies who had preceded 
our party, were hurried on, nolens volens, to Beyrout. 
The town itself is beautifully situated on a rising 
ground surrounded with orchards of oranges, lemons, 
and citrons, the largest in the known world. It 
was literally impossible to carry more than one at a 
time in one's bag or pocket. 

The kind ' Custode dei Santi Luoghi ' insisted 
on conveying the whole party straight from the 
steamer to his fine Franciscan convent near the 
landing-stairs, where dinner and rooms were at 

* The antlior of tlie Qidda del Pellecjrino Divoto in Terra Santa 
toucliingly says: 'La qiial terra meritamente cliiamiamo "Santa," 
nella quale non vi e passo di piede clie non sia stato illustrate e 
santificato dal Corpo o dall' Ombra del Salvatore, o dalla gioriosa 
presenza della Sua Divina Madre, o dalla compagnia degli Apostoli, 
o dal Sangue che vi versarono a rivi i Santi Martiri. ! Terra yera- 
mente Santa ! e degna di essere calcata, non solamente senza calze ai 
piedi, ma molto piu ancora senza colpe mortali nell' anima e senza 
affetti terreni nel cuore. Solve, adunque (come gia disse Iddio a Mose), 
" Solve calceamentum de pedibus tuis : locus enim in quo stas Terra 
Sancta est." ' 



62 



JAFFA. 



once provided for them. The ladies took the op- 
portunity to exchange their gowns for riding-habits, 
while the gentlemen went to the Consul, who was 
kindly superintending the packing of the baggage- 
mules and the saddling of the horses, which had 
been previously ordered from Cairo. A delay, 
however, occurred from the Pacha having suddenly 
appropriated four out of the eight saddle-horses 
selected for the party, for the use of his Harem that 
morning. The owners had no redress, and nothing 
left for it but to wait till his Highness had done 
with them ; while our travellers consoled themselves 
by visiting the different objects of interest in the 
town. 

The sacred memories of Jaffa date back to re- 
mote antiquity. Here the Lebanon cedars were 
landed for the construction of the Temple. Here 
Jonah embarked when shrinking from his Ninevite 
mission. Here St. Peter had the mysterious vision 
of the sheet let down from heaven full of ^ clean and 
unclean ' — to teach him more fully the new law of 
Him who came not to call the righteous but sinners 
to repentance. Here also he restored Tabitha to 
life — a miracle doubtless wrought to confirm the 
faith of the people, though (according to the Jewish 
legend) so full of mysterious suffering to herself 
Here, again, he received the messengers of Corne- 
lius, inviting him to Caesarea. The house of ' Simon 
the Tanner ' is still shown by the seaside, part of 



RAMLEIL 



63 



it being now converted into a cliapcl ; and the well 
is used by the tanners of this day for the same pur- 
pose. Here also the Blessed Virgin is said to have 
embarked with St. John for Ephesus, after the death 
of her Divine Son. Here again, in what may be 
called modern history, St. Louis of France remained 
for some months while preparing for the conquest 
of Jerusalem; and here the First Napoleon, in 1799, 
disgraced himself and the French nation, whom he 
represented, by the massacre of his Moslem prisoners, 
after they had surrendered on the faith of his word 
that their lives should be spared. 

With the exception of one or two granite columns, 
there are very few remains of antiquity in Jaffa ; so 
our party went on to the English Consul's house, 
which is close to the one gate of the city, and to 
a fountain remarkable for its quaint carving and 
curious Arabic inscriptions. Here they were kindly 
and hospitably entertained by the Consul and his 
young Greek wife, until the Pacha, at last, conde- 
scended to send them back their horses ; when the 
whole party mounted, and fairly started on their 
Holy Land pilgrimage. The son of the Consul 
kindly volunteered to act as their guide and inter- 
preter, at any rate till their arrival in Jerusalem — a 
proposal very gratefully accepted. 

The road to Ramleh wound through a lovely and 
fertile country, lined with hedges of orange and 
prickly-pear ; and the luxuriant verdure was very 



64 



BAMLEH. 



grateful to eyes so long parched by the glare and 
drought of the Egyptian sandhills. But their start 
had been so long delayed, that it was night before 
they had gone halfway to their destination, and it 
became rather nervous work for the less-experienced 
riders of the party to pick their way along the stony 
rough tracks in pitchy darkness. The instinct of their 
horses, however, seconded the efforts of their guides, 
and at nine o'clock in the evening they found them- 
selves safely at the door of the hospitable Franciscan 
convent, with its welcome and beautiful sign of 
Christ's love on the doorway — the crossed and 
pierced hands. Here, however, a little disappoint- 
ment awaited them. The ^ Custode dei Santi Luo- 
ghi ' had despatched a messenger from Jaffa as soon 
as they landed, desiring the Ramleh monks to pre- 
pare an evening meal for our travellers, irrespective 
of the Lenten fast. Some other English people, 
however, hearing of the difficulty about the horses 
at Jaffa, took it for granted that the party would 
delay their arrival till the following day, and there- 
fore informed the monks that they were not coming 
that evening — and, what was worse, ate up their 
dinner ! However, the kind hospitality of the Fran- 
ciscans being inexhaustible, in about half an hour a 
fresh meal was prepared ; after which our travellers 
retired to their cells, and slept for the first time on 
holy ground. 

The next morning found some of the party early 



LYDDA. 



65 



in the Convent Church of St. Nicoclemus. Tradition 
affirms that that disciple ' who visited Our Lord by 
night ' lived for a long time afterwards at Ramleh. 
Afterwards they visited the Church of St. John 
(now a mosque), and that of the ' Forty Martyrs of 
Sebaste/ which is but a heap of ruins. St. Jerome 
affirms that Eamleh was the home of Joseph of 
Arimath^a — he who had the signal honour of ob- 
taining the sacred body of Our Lord from the hands 
of Pontius Pilate. It is also certain that this was 
the first town occupied by the Crusaders on their 
way to the rescue of the Holy Sepulchre from the 
hands of the infidels. To the south of the city 
is a very ancient well, still bearing the name of 
St. Helena. To the north is the Saracenic tower 
of the ' Forty Martyrs, ' and the ruins of a con- 
vent of Knights Templars, whose business was 
to escort the pilgrims to the Holy City. The 
view from the tower is magnificent, overlooking 
the whole plain bounded by the Mediterranean 
on one side, and the mountains of Israel on the 
other. 

After exploring fully the antiquities of Eamleh, 
our travellers breakfasted ; and then, taking leave 
of the good Franciscan Fathers, started for Lydda— 
as they had decided to make a detour by Bethhoron 
and Gibeon before reaching Jerusalem, which they 
thought would be more interesting than the direct 
road. Lydda is the ' Lod ' of the Old Testament, 

F 



66 



BETHHOBON. 



situated^ like Eamleh, in a fertile plain, and sur- 
rounded with olive and orange groves. It was 
the scene of St. Peter's miracle of curing iEneas, 
the man ^ sick of the palsy ; ' and is also interesting 
to English people as the birthplace of their patron 
saint, St. George, who suffered martyrdom at Nico- 
media under Diocletian at the close of the third 
century. His body was conveyed by the Christians 
to his native town, and a church erected in his 
honour by Justinian. This church was razed to the 
ground by the Moslems on the approach of the Cru- 
saders, but was afterwards rebuilt by Richard Coeur- 
de-Lion. It is one of the most picturesque ruins in 
the Holy Land. The walls and part of the east end 
remain, with beautiful clustered marble columns and 
fine capitals. The day was delicious, like an English 
summer morning, and the bridle-path was both 
wild and beautiful, and covered with spring flowers, 
among which our travellers gathered quantities of 
cyclamen, scarlet anemones, pink phlox, blue ana- 
gallis, lilac and white cistus, and a variety of 
orchids. 

Towards evening, a steep and precipitous ascent led 
them to the rocky ridge of Bethhoron, a site chiefly 
interesting fi^om its connection with the great victory 
won by Joshua over the Ammonites, when the Sun 
and Moon stood still at his bidding. The view 
from the top of the sheik's house is very fine, and 
some of the party remained sketching on the flat 



GIBBON. 



67 



roof till the gorgeous sunset luul faded, without 
twilight warning, into sudden night. 

This was our travellers' first experience of a 
night in the tents. Of course, everything was new 
and strange, and it took some little time to get 
reconciled to the stony and uneven ground, on 
which their feet were bruised and wounded ; as well 
as to the absence of seats or ordinary comforts. 
Many little things also were wanting, which their 
ignorance at Cairo in the whole matter of tent-life 
had made them overlook ; but these were supplied 
at Jerusalem. Unfortunately, during that very first 
night, a violent storm came on, which, about two 
o'clock in the morning, threatened not only to 
deluge the tents, but, fi^om the violence of the wind, 
to blow them down altogether ; while the pouring 
rain drenched the new canvas through-and-through, 
and woke some of the party very unpleasantly, by 
the water dripping on their faces in bed, or, rather, 
coming down like a shower-bath. 

Compelled to get up and put on their damp 
clothes in haste, our travellers remounted, and, fol- 
lowing the line of the old Eoman road, came upon 
Gibeon, now called ^ El-Jib,' — a village standing on 
the top of a hill, steep and difficult of access, the 
houses being built on a succession of ledges. This 
is all that remains of one of the great ^ royal cities ' 
of Scripture. Beneath is stretched one of the most 
fertile plains in all Palestine, covered with vineyards 

F 2 



68 



MIZPEH. 



and olive-groves. Wherever the hillsides are not 
too steep, fruit-trees (especially apricot and fig) and 
vines are planted — the terraced ledges reminding 
one of the equally careful cultivation of the Cor- 
niche. It was impossible not to remember Solo- 
mon's sojourn here, and his sacrifice of a ^ thousand 
burnt-offerings ' when God gave him ' the desire of 
his heart,' wisdom and understanding, and to pray 
for a like desire and a like blessing. 

From Gibeon a bad road brought them to Mizpeh 
(the name signifying ^a place of look-out'), called 
by the natives ' Neby Samwil.' The hill on which it 
stands is the great landmark of the country, rising 
600 feet above the plains of Gibeon. On the crest 
of the hill stands a mosque with a minaret, seen fi:-om 
all the country round, which was once the beautiful 
convent church of the Crusaders. It was here that 
Eichard Coeur-de-Lion, having advanced from his 
camp at Ajalon, first caught sight of Jerusalem, and, 
falling on his knees, exclaimed : ' Lord God ! 
I pray that I may never see Thy holy city if I may 
not rescue it from the hands of Thine enemies.' 
It was here, too, that in the days of Samuel, the 
Israelites, in spite of the warnings of the Prophet, 
rejected God as their King, and chose to have ^ a 
ruler like other nations.' The east end of the 

* See tlie wonderfully clever parallel between the Israelites and tlie 
Romans of tlie present day, in a Sermon preaclied by Dr. Newman on 
the 7tli October, 1866, and publisbed by Longman, under tbe title of 
' The Fojpe and the Revolution.^ 



JERUSALEM. 



69 



cliurcli alone remains, and out of the ruins of the 
adjoining convent several houses have been built, 
the Avails beino- hewn out of the rock. From the 
flat roof of this ruined church the view extends 
over the wdiole of the South of Palestine. 

A stony, steep path conducted our travellers from 
hence to the Valley of Hanina, where all pretence 
of a decent road ended. Sharp and pointed stones 
alternated with slippery slabs, on which their poor 
horses slipped and stumbled incessantly — the heavy 
rain, of course, adding to the difficulty. On reach- 
ing the summit of the next rising ground, their 
guides pointed out to them a succession of bluish- 
grey hills, and a long low line of wall surmounted 
by a dome, which stood out against the sky. 

' Ucco Gerusalemme ! ' Instinctively everyone 
drew their bridle-rein and paused. The country 
round was of a totally different character fi-om what 
they had passed through in the morning. It was 
desert, arid, silent, and solitary. Only one or two 
pilgrims were wending their way, like our travellers, 
to the Holy City. Otherwise the eye rested on no 
living thing. It seemed meet that thus it should be 
— that, in face of Calvary, nature itself should stand 
still.* Mournful and yet beautiful, to the Christian 

* The following description of tlie first siglit of Jerusalem, hj a 
living antlior, is too beautiful and true not to be quoted : — 

* On the first sight of Jerusalem, there is a thrill of interest which is 
scarcely weakened by repetition ; and one can only pity the man who 
is not, for the moment at least, imbued Avith the pilgrim spirit, and 



70 



JERUSALEM, 



heart as to the Jewish, must Jerusalem ever be, 
until the time of the ' restitution of all things.' 
And even then, will it ever be possible to blot out 
the remembrance of the Passion from the minds 
of angels or of men ? 

But the day was inauspicious. Most of the party 
were wet through, and so, giving up the luxury of 
dwelling on thoughts like these, they pushed on (as 
fast as the nature of the ground would admit) to the 
Damascus Gate, which is on the north side of the 
city, in the centre of the valley between the two 
ridges on which Jerusalem stands. Passing under 
its battlemented arch, a steep street led them across 
the city up to the ^ Casa Nuova,' the hospitable 
Pilgrims' Home attached to the great Latin con- 
vent of ^ St. Salvador.' 

All the sacred places in Palestine are under the 
care of these Franciscan monks, who are styled 
' Fratres minores ah ohservantia' St. Francis him- 
self applied to the Sultan for permission to guard 
the Holy Places, which, after many difficulties, was 
granted to him and to his Order in perpetuity. 

d oes not feel tlie sight to be one of tlie privileges of his life. Enshrined 
in the depths of a Christian's affections, linked with every feeling of 
faith and hope — " If I forget thee, Jerusalem, let my right hand 
forget her cunning." . . . We gazed in silence. The one thought, 
"This is Jerusalem," absorbed all others. "Thy servants take 
pleasure in her stones." It is like revisiting a father's grave or the 
home of one's youth ; and no one is disposed to expatiate on the out- 
lines or details of the landscape, which rivets itself on the soul with 
magnetic power, for over it hover the memories of Redemption achieved 
and victory over the grave.' — The Land of Israel; hy H. B. Tristram. 



JERUSALEM. 



71 



Ever since (that is, for more than six centuries) 
they have maintained their ground, in the midst 
of hardships, sufferings, and trials of all kinds. 
Their Avork has prospered in an almost miraculous 
manner; and although many have reaped the 
crown of martyrdom, yet have there been ever 
fresh soldiers ready to fill up the gap. The ^ ^z^ar- 
cliano ' or custode of the whole resides at Jerusalem. 
He is always an Italian, and is elected every three 
years. There are 14 convents subject to him in 
the Holy Land, and about 150 monks. 

It is impossible to speak highly enough of their 
kindness and consideration towards all travellers, 
no matter of what race or faith, who knock at 
their hospitable gates. On this occasion, the drip- 
ping party were received with open arms ; and as 
their baggage was still a long way behind, the kind 
monks insisted upon their taking off their wet 
clothes, and going to bed till dry things could be 
procured for them ; while they brought them hot 
mulled wine, steaming and delicious coffee, and 
every sort of preservative against cold. In the 
evening they had an interview with the ' custode,' 
w^ho put them under the care of the English con- 
fessor of the convent. Padre Luigi, as their cicerone 
in visiting the sacred sites,* and also their guide as 

* In speaking of tliese sites, the writer must be excused from entering 
into tlie perplexing controversies regarding the authority and authen- 
ticity of each, which seem to occupy the minds of most EngHsh 
travellers in the Holy Land. She went there as a Catholic pilgrim, 



72 



JERUSALEM. 



to all matters relating to the hours of service and 
the regulations of the convent ; and then they gladly 
sought the rest they so much needed, and slept for 
the first time within the walls of the Holy City. 

and gladly accepted the Latin view of these disputed questions, whicli 
are, after all, irrelevant to the one great fact, that here Our Blessed 
Lord lived and died, was buried, and rose again. 



THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE. 73 



CHAPTER III. 

JERUSALEM AND THE HOLY SEPULCHRE. 

It was long before the four-o'clock bell summoned 
the inmates of the convent to their place in the 
choir the following morning, that Padre Luigi, 
with a little lantern, knocked at the door of the 
cell of one of the party, to take her, according to 
promise, to pay her first visit to the Church of the 
Holy Sepulchre. Descending the steep and rugged 
street into a bazaar, and then again by a flight of 
ten or twelve steps, you come into a little paved 
square piazza or court. To the left is a building 
belonging to the Greek convent ; to the right is a 
detached chapel, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin ; 
while to the north, the eye rests on a fine massive 
tower, and on a double-pointed arched doorway, 
leading into that wonderful aggregation of chapels 
called the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. In the little 
square in fi-ont of the church, groups of itinerant 
vendors of shells, beads, and pictures squat all day 
on their carpets, and drive a flourishing trade. 

The Turks, for some reason only known to 
themselves, had fixed on three o'clock that morning 



74 THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE. 



as the hour when they would condescend to open 
the sacred building. On entering, the first thing 
which meets the eye is the ' Stone of Unction/ 
i.e., the stone on which the Body of Our Lord 
w^as laid, after death, for the anointing. From 
thence, turning to the left, you come to a circular 
building like the Pantheon at Rome, in the centre 
of which is the Holy Sepulchre. The entrance is 
by a low door, which leads into what is called 
the ^ Chapel of the Angel,' for here the Angel 
sat upon the stone which had been rolled away 
fi:'om the Sepulchre. In the centre of this octa- 
gonal chapel is the stone itself ; and at the west end 
of this antechamber is a little door, through which, 
stooping very Ioav, you pass, and find yourself 
within the Holy Sepulchre. It is like a little vault 
with a domed roof To the right is the Sepulchre 
itself, raised nearly three feet above the floor, and of 
pure white marble. The slab which covers it serves 
as an altar, on which the Holy Sacrifice is daily 
offered. The space is so small that there is only 
room for the officiating priest and a server ; while 
those who intend to communicate kneel in the outer 
chapel, and then crawl in, almost on hands and 
knees, one by one. Over the Sepulchre burn forty- 
two silver lamps, day and night ; while the air 
is heavy with incense, and the floor is strewn with 
the sweet-smelling flowers of the mimosa and 
orange-blossoms. A priest is always watching in 



THE CHAPEL OF THE 'APPARITION,' 7s 



adoration by the shrine ; and all day long, a con- 
tinual stream of pilgrims, taking off their shoes at the 
entrance, bow knees and forehead before the marble 
slab whei'C their Lord was laid. In fact, it is only 
those who pass the night within the sacred building 
Avho can ever have the comfort of praying there in 
stillness and in peace, and without being compelled 
every moment to make way for a fresh Avorshipper. 
But, even with this great drawback, it is difficult to 
describe the feelings of a person while kneeling there. 

Behind the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre, is the 
Oratory of the Copts ; and a little beyond, the 
Chapel of the Spians, which is like a grotto hewn 
out of the rock. Passing onwards, and turning 
round a pier to the left, you come to the Chapel of 
the ^ Apparition,' so called because it is built on the 
site of the house to which the Blessed Virgin is said 
(by tradition) to have retired when the Crucifixion 
was over, and where Our Saviour appeared to her 
after His Eesurrection. It is a quadrangular build- 
ing, belonging exclusively to the Franciscans ; and 
to the south side of the altar, is a large porphyry 
fragment of the Column of the Flagellation. 

Here the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem are 
still invested, as in olden times : kneeling before the 
Superior, they take their solemn oath, and are girt 
with the spurs and sword of Godfrey de Bouillon, 
which are religiously preserved in the Treasury of the 
Chm'ch. There are many sad and touching recoUec- 



76 



'OUR LORD'S prison: 



tions connected with these Knights of St. John^ and 
with the Latin Kings who so heroically straggled, for 
a hundred years, to save from infidel hands the site 
of their Master's Passion. Each of these Christian 
Kings was crowned at the altar of this chapel ; and 
then, humbly ascending the steps, each deposited 
his crown on the altar of Calvary — refusing, like 
their great leader, to wear the diadem in the city 
where their Saviour had worn a Crown of Thorns. 

Leaving this chapel, and passing by one dedicated 
to St. Mary Magdalene (built over the supposed spot 
where Christ appeared to her in the garden), you 
descend, by two steps, to a low dark chamber hewn 
out of the rock, which, by a tradition as old as the 
twelfth century, goes by the name of ^ Our Lord's 
Prison,' as being the place where He was confined 
previous to His Crucifixion. From thence a side- 
door leads into the Greek Church, which is directly 
in front of the entrance to the Holy Sepulchre."^ 
To understand the singular form and arrangements 
of this church, it is necessary to recollect that, when 
built by the Crusaders, it was intended only for the Ca- 
tholics (here called ' Latins'), and given in charge of 
the Agustinians. "When the Crusaders were expelled 
by Saladin, the Greeks got possession of a portion of 
the building, and have ever since retained it. 

This chapel, which was originally the Latin choir, 

* By tlie kindness of Monsignor Eyre, the writer is allowed to insert, 
on tlie opposite page, a copy of Hs carefully-detailed ground-plan of 
tliis clmrcli. 



THE GREEK CHURCH. 



n 



is divided in half by an elaborately-carved screen, 
which cuts oft' the apse in which stands the High 




1. Principal door 

2. Place for Turkish Guards 

3. Stone of Unction 

4. Tomb of Godfrey 

5. Tomb of Baldwin 

6. Steps to Calvary 

Overhead in the Chapel of Calvciry : — 

7. Chapel of the planting of the 

Cross 

8. Pent of the Rock 

9. Chapel of the Crucifixion 

7. Chapel of Adam and of John Baptist 

8. Tomb of Adam 

9. Greek Refectory 

10. Small Vestry 

1 1 . Place where Virgin Mary stood while 

the body was anointed 

12. Stairway to Armenian Chapel and 

Lodgings 

13. Chapel of the Angel 

14. The Holy Sepulchre 

15. Altar of the Copts 

16. Chapel of the Syrians 

17. Tombs of Joseph and Nicodemus 

18. Latin choir for the oifices of the 

Holy Sepulchre 

19. Greek 'Centre of the AVorld' 

20. Monks' Stalls 



21, 22. Greek Patriarch's Seat 

23. Place of the Painting 

24. Table of Prothesis 

25. Holy Table 

26. Great Throne of Greek Patriarch 

27. Where Christ appeared to Mary 

Magdalene as the Gardener 

28. Where Mary Magdalene stood 

29. Altar of Franks 

30. Part of the Pillar of the Flagellation 

31. Church of the Latins 

32. Where Christ appeared to His 

Mother after Resurrection 

33. Place of recognition of the Cross 

34. Latin Sacristy 

35. Prison of Our Lord 

36. Chapel of the Virgin 

37. Chapel of Longinus the Centurion 

38. Chapel of Parting the Garments 

39. Chapel of the Mocking 

40. Stairs in solid rock, going down 

forty-nine steps 

41. Chapel of St. Helena 

42. Chapel of Penitent Thief 

43. Thirteen steps down in the rock 

44. Place where True Cross was found 

45. Altar of the Discoveiy of Cross 

46. Latin and Greeks' Stairs to Calvary, 

which is over the figures 7, 8, 9 



The great divisions of the Church are as follows : — 



A. Entrance and Portico 

B. South Aisle 

C. Circular nave imder Dome 

L. Chapel enclosing the Holy Sepulchre 
E. Chapel of the Apparition, which is 
the Latin Church 



F. Franciscan Convent 

G. North Aisle 

H. Greek Choir 

I. Chapel of St. Helena 

K. Chapel of the Discovery of the Cross 



78 



THE CHURCH OF ST. HELENA, 



Altar and the Patriarch's throne. The choral stalls 
still remain on each side of the Bishop's chair. Be- 
neath the centre of the lantern and clerestory is a 
short marble column, which is said to mark the 
centre of the earth. The whole is gorgeously deco- 
rated, gilt, and illuminated with ostrich-egg lamps, 
and paintings of saints on a gold ground. 

Leaving the Greek church, and passing by the 
chapel where it is said the raiment of Our Lord was 
divided among the soldiers, and that of St. Longinus, 
the centurion whose spear pierced His sacred side, a 
flight of thirty steps leads down to the Church of 
St. Helena, with a cupola roof in which four lights 
are pierced. It is a massive and beautifiil crypt, 
supported on thick dwarf columns, with basket- 
worked capitals of a Byzantine character — the whole 
looking as if untouched since the days of the Great 
Empress.* To the south of her altar is a marble 
chair, in which she is said to have sat while super- 
intending the excavations which led to the dis- 
covery of the True Cross. 

A staircase of twelve steps, hewn in the rock, leads 
down from hence to the Chapel of the ' Discovery 
of the Cross.' In a recess on the south side stands 
an altar and crucifix, on the identical spot where 
the True Cross lay, dishonoured and unknown, for 

* This chapel is admirably rendered in Carl Werner's beautiful picture, 
wbicli has become so well-known by cliromo-lithography to the British 
public ; and also in Roberts's faithful sketch. 



THE CHAFEL OF CALVARY, 



79 



three centuries. The rude rock remains uncovered, 
and unadorned, with the marks of the pickaxe, as if 
the workmen had only just left off their search ; so 
that this part of the sacred building has a look of 
greater reality and antiquity than all the rest. 

Keascending to the principal aisle, and leaving 
on the left the ' Chapel of the Mocking ' — where 
the fragment of marble is still shown on which Our 
Lord is said to have been placed when they crowned 
Him with thorns, blindfolded Him, and smote Him 
on the face — a flight of eighteen steps leads upwards 
to the Chapel of Calvary. It is a low vaulted 
building, with a marble floor, divided into two 
chapels ; the one to the left belongs to the Greeks. 
In the centre is the altar, and under it a hole com- 
municating with a similar one in the natural rock 
below. Here the Saviour's Cross was fixed in the 
ground. A little to the right, the rent and riven 
rock is still seen, occasioned by the earthquake at 
the time of the Crucifixion. 

The chapel to the right is -that of the Latins, and 
covers the spot where Our Blessed Lord was nailed 
to the Cross. In the south wall is a window looking 
into a small exterior chapel, dedicated to ^ Our Lady 
of Sorrows,' for here is said to be the exact spot 
where the Virgin stood beside the Cross. Under- 
neath this Latin chapel is what is supposed to be 
the grave of Adam ; and at the entrance of the dark 
and gloomy chamber are the tombs of Godfi-ey de 



8o THE CHAPEL OF THE LATINS. 



Bouillon (the first Latin King of Jerusalem) and of 
his brother Baldwin. On the former, though much 
defaced, is the following inscription : — 

Hie jacet inclytus Dux Godfridus de Bulion, 

Qui totam istam Terram acquisivit Cultni Cliristiano : 

Cujus Anima regnat cum Christo, Amen. 

All this, and more than this, was shown that 
morning to the early visitor at the shrine ; and 
then they went back to have their mass on Calvary. 
Pilgrims of every race and clime, speaking a perfect 
Babel of tongues, clothed in the many and varied 
costumes of their respective countries, all were 
kneeling there — on the terrible spot Avhich wit- 
nessed the awful Passion of their common Lord. 
They had all been seen and known to Him in that 
dread hour — no single soul had been forgotten in 
that multitude ! His Precious Blood had been 
offered and accepted for each and all : and the 
intensity of feeling which such thoughts called forth 
was shown in the bated breath and the awestruck, 
weeping faces which gathered round that altar in the 
dim twilight, to feed on the Body which had been 
there pierced and torn and mangled for them. 

Returning at six o'clock to the convent, the 
priest and the lady passed into the Church of St. 
Salvador, which adjoins it, and which contains 
a beautiful silver altar-front, and several other 
precious fittings ; but the thoughts of the English 
stranger were too absorbed in the recollections of 



MONSIGNOR DE VALLERGA. 



8i 



tlie early morning at the Sepulchre to take interest 
in other things that day. 

In the afternoon one of the party went to present 
her letters of introduction to the Patriarch, Monsignor 
de Vallerga,* who received her with the greatest 
kindness, as indeed he does everyone who claims his 
help. He is a man of singular ability and know- 
ledge, and is likcAvise a wonderful linguist, speaking 
not only Hebrew and Greek, but most of the Ara- 
bian dialects ; and by his firmness and energy has 
done a great deal to strengthen the position of the 
Catholics in the East. He has established a large 
seminary for priests at Beit Jala, near Bethlehem, 
which he watches over with parental care ; and has 
likewise imported the Sisters of St. Joseph, who 
have an orphanage and day-schools, which are ad- 
mirably conducted. The Patriarch himself was at 
one time a missionary among the Kurds, by whom 
he was taken prisoner, and from whom he received 
wounds which he suffers from to this day. He 
is a remarkably handsome man, with all the vigour 
of youth, though long past middle age. 

From the Patriarch's palace. Padre Luigi took 
our party to see the convent of the ' Filles de Sion,' 
founded by the famous Jewish convert, the Pere de 
Ratisbon, about eight years ago. Unfortunately, he 
was himself absent at Paris ; but the charming 

* ^Vbilst this slieet was passing tlirougli the press the melancholy 
intelligence was receiyed by the wi'iter, that this kind and venerable 
man had passed to his eternal rest. 



82 'FILLE8 BE SION' AND 'PLAGE OF WAILING.' 



Mother Superior, on reading the letter of intro- 
duction which one of the party had brought, at once 
volunteered to show them over the whole house. 
It adjoins the house of Pontius Pilate, and contains 
the arch from the window of which Our Saviour was 
shown to the Jews by him. ' Ecce Homo ! ' — Carl 
Werner's admirable drawing, faithftiUy rendered in 
chromo-lithography — gives the best possible repre- 
sentation of this spot. In digging the foundations 
of their new chapel not long ago, a subterranean 
passage was discovered, of hewn stone, in perfect 
preservation, and which leads under the city to the 
Temple. From the terrace of this house, one of 
the best and most beautiful views of Jerusalem may 
be obtained. The sisters have about thirty orphans, 
whom they board, clothe, and lodge ; and a branch 
country-house, on the site of the ^Visitation,' for 
those among the children who suffer from the 
climate of Jerusalem. 

After promising to return to these kind sisters, 
our travellers proceeded to the ^ Place of Wailing ' 
of the Jews, who assemble every Friday, to weep 
and pray for restoration to their own country. Here 
alone the Jews are permitted to approach the walls 
of their Temple, which they literally bathe with their 
tears. It is the most touching scene possible, from 
its intense reality ; and it would be as inhuman to 
go to it as a mere sight, as it would be to pay a visit 
of curiosity to a house of mourning which death 



THE VIRGIN'S TOMB, 



83 



had just visited. Jews of every age and country, 
and of both sexes, were there, leaning their heads 
against the sacred walls— now repeating verses of 
the Psalms, now sobbing as if their hearts would 
break ! The stones are large, bevelled, and perfect, 
except where they have been literally worn away 
by the kisses of the mourners. A beautiful proces- 
sional service in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre 
closed a day so full of thrilling and overpowering- 
interest to the whole party. 

The following morning, passing out of St. Ste- 
phen's Gate, our travellers rode down the steep and 
precipitous path, over the bridge which spans the 
Brook Kedron, to a low building standing on the left 
of the path at the bottom of the valley. This is the 
church built over the tomb of the Blessed Virgin. 
A short flight of steps leads to a paved court and to 
a Gothic doorway, deeply recessed in the thickness 
of the grey stone wall. Descending again by a 
broad staircase of fifty or sixty steps, you come to a 
dark and gloomy grotto hewn out of the rock. On 
the east side is a little chapel, still more dark, con- 
taining an altar and the empty tomb. A multitude 
of ostrich-egg lamps, suspended from the roof, throws 
a gleam of light across this white marble sarcopha- 
gus, decked with roses by the loving hands and 
hearts of the ^ Children of Mary,' and reminding one 
of the famous picture of that subject in the Vatican. 

The Mahometans have also a species of altar in 

g2 



84 THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE. 



this subterranean church, where solemn services are 
performed by them in honour of the ' Sitt Miriam,' as 
they call the Virgin Mary. On the right and left of 
the staircase are likewise the tombs of St. Joseph, 
St. Joachim, and St. Anna. A little beyond this 
building is the ' Grotto of the Agony,' a cave of some 
depth, where Our Lord, after leaving His disciples 
in the Garden of Gethsemane, withdrew Himself ' a 
little farther ' and prayed. On the very spot of the 
Agony is an altar, and close to it the terrible in- 
scription — 'Hie factus est sudor ejus sicut gutt^^ 
sanguinis decurrentis in terram.' Future services in 
that chapel, especially on the night of the Betrayal, 
fixed the memory of that awful spot indelibly on 
the mind of one of the travellers."^ 

About a ' stone's cast ' from this grotto is the 
Garden of Gethsemane, enclosed by a high wall, 
under the guardianship of one of the Spanish 
Franciscan monks. Eight venerable olive-trees 
remain ; but, unfortunately, such has been the 
indiscretion of pilgrims, and their anxiety to carry 
off a portion of the sacred wood, that each tree is 
now enclosed in a high white railing, which very 
much spoils the effect of the whole, and gives the 

* St. Jerome says that wliat Our Lord suffered on that Thursday 
night will not all be known until the Doom, when the Father will 
reveal it, according to the prophecy of ISTahum : ' Revelabo cunctis 
regibus et gentibus ignominiam tuam.' And St. Bernardino : ' That 
it was the strife between the natural fear of His human nature and the 
Divine Love urging Him on to the perfect Sacrifice with all the powers 
of His Soul, which caused the Bloody Sweat.' 



THE MOUNT OF OLIVES, 



85 



garden a villa kind of look, inexpressibly painful to 
those who would have wished to see it in its original 
state, and to have knelt by those gnarled roots in 
stillness and in peace. There is a ' via crucis ' in 
Spanish tiles or ^ azulejos ' let into the wall which 
encloses the garden, and bright flowers grow in pro- 
fusion in the little beds between the trees. After- 
wards, one of the party became quite at home in 
that sacred spot ; and the old monk would insist on 
giving her a cup of chocolate in his little garden- 
cell, when she had been to the early services in the 
grotto. But the first impression of the place was one 
of great disappointment, although the necessity for 
the present incongruous arrangement became more 
and more apparent every day : the pilgrims come 
in hundreds, and literally take the place by storm. 

Leaving Gethsemane, and crossing once more the 
dried-up Brook of Kedron, our travellers rode up 
the steep path which leads to the Mount of Olives. 
The tradition which points to this spot as the one 
fi^om which Our Lord ascended into Heaven is the 
oldest and best-authenticated on record. The church 
built over it, by the piety of St. Helena, has now 
been converted into a mosque, a nude modern oc- 
tagonal room, shown by a dervish ; but in the 
centre, deeply imprinted in the rock, is the mark of 
the Saviour's Foot, venerated equally by Moslem and 
Christian. The view from the tower at the top is 
magnificent. The whole city, mournful in her deso- 



86 THE VALLEY OF JEHOSHAPHAT. 



lation, is stretched out as in a map on the one side, 
and on the other, Bethany, and the Dead Sea, and 
the Jordan, and the mountains of Moab ; it was 
difficult to tear oneself from the spot. A large 
number of ravens make their home amidst the 
broken columns and ruins of the old church, 
and perch and croak amid the stunted olive-trees 
which clothe the sides of the hill. A little lower 
down is the Hermitage of St. Pelagia, that famous 
penitent of Antioch, who after her conversion, with 
the love of a second Magdalene, passed the re- 
mainder of her life here in penance and in prayer.* 
Returning down the hill on the opposite side, our 
travellers crossed the Yalley of Jehoshaphat, and 
came to the three remarkable tombs entitled of Za- 
charias, Absalom, and St. James ; which, situated in 
the deep narrow glen at the bottom of the valley, 
form, as it were, the corner of an angle, from whence 
you can either ascend by a steep incline to the city- 
walls, or follow the path in the valley, which turns 
sharply to the left, by the village of Siloam to the 
Valley of Hinnom. The Tomb of Zacharias is an 
ugly square building, with Ionic columns, said to 
have been erected over the body of him whom 
Our Lord speaks of as ' slain between the Temple 
and the Altar.' But, whatever may be its origin, 

* There are no vestiges left of tlie convent of St. Melania, mentioned 
by St. Jerome as being only at a sbort distance from tbe Cburcli of tbe 
Ascension, 



TJJI'J POSITION OF THE JEWS. 



87 



it is greatly venerated by the Jews, who come 
fi*oin the uttermost parts of the earth to be buried 
as close to it as possible. The whole hillside 
is covered with little flat slabs, commemorating 
a Jewish resting-place. The Tomb of Absalom is a 
most curious pyramidal structure, of every jumble of 
architecture, in the lower part of which is a small 
chamber; but it is choked with stones, the Jews 
having been in the habit, from time immemorial, 
of casting a stone and spitting at the monument as 
they pass by, to express their horror at Absalom's 
unnatural rebellion. The Tomb of St. James is a 
large chamber on the side of the cliff, with a porch 
supported by Doric columns, and a door and stair- 
case leading to the rock overhead. It is said that 
here the Apostles took refuge during the interval 
which elapsed between the Crucifixion and the 
Resurrection. 

Reserving a visit to Siloam for a future day, our 
travellers rode up the steep path which led to 
the city-walls, and, making the circuit of the whole 
town, re-entered Jerusalem by the Jaffa Gate. 
On their way they passed by the magnificent hos- 
pital built by Sir Moses Montefiore for the poor 
Jews. Nothing can be more abject and miserable 
than the position of the ^ Chosen People ' now in 
Jerusalem. They are divided into two sects — the 
* Sephardim,' or Spanish Jews, descendants of those 
expelled by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1497, and 



88 



THE TEMFLE. 



who still speak Spanish ; and the ' Askenazim,' or 
Polish and German Jews, almost the whole of whom 
are supported by charity. The efforts to convert 
them, tried in turn by every Christian sect, have 
been singularly unsuccessful. Nominally, a certain 
number come to the Christian schools or workshops, 
but they are, like the Irish ^ yelloiu male ' converts, 
people driven by stress of hunger to pretended 
abjurations. Of course, there are one or two noted 
exceptions ; but, as a rule, every honest person must 
confess to the total failure of the efforts made on 
their behalf in a religious sense, in spite of the large 
sums yearly expended for this object. God's time 
of harvest is not yet come. 

In the evening, the kind and agreeable English 
Consul paid our travellers a visit in their conventual 
quarters, and arranged for them to go the following 
morning to see the Temple, which is no longer for- 
bidden ground to the Christian pilgrim, if the exor- 
bitant ' baksheesh ' of IZ. a head be paid for the 
privilege. After a two-o'clock service in the Holy 
Sepulchre, the party started at five for the ' Haram' 
as the temple or mosque is called. The visit of 
Christians is only permitted at daybreak, and must 
be concluded before the Moslem hour of prayer ; so 
that six o'clock found all the party with a formid- 
able escort of ' cawasses,' in their full-dress and 
silver-mounted staves, knocking for admittance at 
the door of the mosque. After a few minutes' par- 



THE TEMPLE. 



89 



ley, and examination of their firman from tlic Pacha, 
the party were (somewhat surhly) admitted, and 
crossed the wide marble-paved area, in the centre 
of which is the beautiful enamelled dome of the 
Haram, covering the great rock called ' El Sakhra.' 
It is, in fxct, the identical site of the Temple on 
Mount Moriah. Our travellers had lefb their shoes 
at the entrance-gate, and walked (for once gladly) 
barefooted on a pavement which must have been 
pressed countless times by the feet of Our Blessed 
Lord. 

This magnificent Temple, though glistening with 
mosaic within and without, and exquisite in propor- 
tion, still derives its chief interest from the great 
rock in the centre, which universal tradition points 
out as the ^ threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite,' 
and afterwards the site of the great Altar of Sacri- 
fice erected by Solomon. Underneath is a chapel or 
cavern, which contains the altars or praying-places 
of Solomon and David, with beautiful twisted cable- 
like pillars in white marble. The mosque is glo- 
rious, with magnificent marble pillars, and the dome 
is studded with Saracenic devices on a pure gold 
ground. It was converted into a Christian basilica 
in the time of the Crusaders. The cloisters still re- 
main along the whole southern side of the outer 
court, and they extend to Solomon's Porch, where 
Jesus was wont to walk. Between the Mosque of 
Omar and the second Mosque of El Aksa a green 



90 



THE TEMPLE. 



sward takes the place of pavement^ out of which 
spring magnificent cypresses ; and in the centre of 
the space is a beautiful pulpit, with lovely pillars, 
basket-worked capitals, and a marble fountain. 

The Mosque of El Aksa was a basilica, built 
by Justinian, and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. 
The apex is full of gilt mosaics, like the dome of 
St. Lorenzo, and other old churches in Eome and 
Sicily ; and there are also thirty-three columns of 
beautiful marble, with basket-worked capitals of 
Jewish work like those in the ' Haram,' which are 
supposed to have formed portions of the ancient 
Temple of Solomon. Underneath this basilica is a 
little recessed chapel, which goes by the name of 
' The Cradle of Our Lord,' a spot much revered 
even by the Moslems. 

To the east of this mosque is the graceful little 
Dome of Solomon, where he is said to have prayed 
at the dedication of the Temple ; and to the left, 
crossing the open space in front of the Great 
Mosque or Haram, you come to the most beautiful 
little cupola in the whole building — the ' Dome of 
the Chain,' as it is called by the Moslems, supported 
by seventeen slender marble columns. The Jewish 
tradition is, that this was the site of the Judgment 
Seat of King David. 

From the Haram walls the view is beautiful, ex- 
tending over Gethsemane, Olivet, Scopus, and the 
whole city. On making the circuit of the walls, 



THE TEMFLE. 



91 



which enclose a space forming* one-third of the 
town, onr travellers examined the ' Golden Gate/ 
i.e. the ' Beautiful Gate/ where St. Paul cured the 
impotent man. The rounded archways and fine 
marble pillars still remain. Underneath are the 
vaults and crypts of which M. de Saulcy has spoken 
in such glowing terms. The stones of the wall on 
the inside are of colossal size ; but the origin, date, 
and use of these subterranean chambers are still a 
matter of dispute to the learned. 

The Mahometan traditions of this mosque are as 
curious as the Jewish or the Christian. It is the 
third most sacred place in Moslem belief, being the 
supposed spot fi^om whence Mahomet ascended up 
to Heaven. The impression of his foot is said 
still to be visible on the great rock under the 
dome ; and on a mass of stone or marble near the 
Golden Gate, they pretend that he will return to 
take his seat on the Judgment Day. 

But the hour sounded for the departure of the 
Christian strangers, and their guide hurried them 
across the wide area to the entrance, fearfiil of an 
outbreak of fanaticism, which might have been the 
result of their being found by ' the Faithful' in their 
' Holy of Holies ' at the hour of Moslem prayer. 

The rest of the day was spent in the convent and 
with the Sisters of St. Joseph, whose admirable 
orphanage is in the same street as the Franciscan 
church. Towards evening they returned, with the 



92 



HAJJ8EES HOTEL. 



venerable Bishop Mastajo, to the Holy Sepulchre, and 
took part in the usual processional service of the day. 

The arrival of an unusually crowded French 
caravan compelled them the following morning to 
leave the ' Casa Nuova/ and find lodgings else- 
where. By the kindness of the Marquise N , one 

of the ladies was permitted to remain in the convent, 
the noble French lady having given up her own bed 
to the English stranger. This kindness was the more 
appreciated, as, owing to the closing of all the gates 
of the city from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., scarcely any of the 
more solemn services of the place or season could be 
enjoyed by those encamped outside the walls. 

The gentlemen of the party, with two of the 
ladies, established themselves in very comfortable 
rooms in ' Hauser's ' Hotel, which has been started 
within the last few years, and which is situated in 
the centre of the principal Frank Bazaar, called 
also ' Christian Street.' The only drawback to this 
house is the ' Pool of Hezekiah,' a cistern 240 feet 
long, into which most of the rooms look, and which 
in hot weather is aj)t to be both stagnant and un- 
sweet. But the hotel itself is scrupulously clean, 
and the food very much above the average. 

Having completed these arrangements, and or- 
dered some of the Jerusalem rings, olive-wood 
crosses, and mother-of-pearl shells, which form the 
staple piu^chases of pilgrims, our travellers deter- 
mined to try some new horses, of which they stood in 



FOUNTAIN OF THE VIRGIN. 



93 



need for tlieir future journeyings, by making certain 
expeditions in the neighbourhood. Their first ride 
took them through the Valleys of Jehoshaphat and 

Hinnom, Mr. M , the obliging English Consul, 

acting as tlieir cicerone. Passing by the Pool of 
Bethesda (which remains to this day), and out of 
St. Stephen's Gate, they rode under the wall of the 
Haram to the picturesque Fountain of the Blessed 
Virgin. The water bubbles up from a spring at 
the bottom of a deep cavern, to which you descend 
by a flight of thirty steps. Here tradition affirms 
that the Virgin came, before the Purification, to 
wash the Infant Saviour's clothes. A low passage 
leads from thence to the Fountain of Siloam ; but 
the most curious thing about this fountain is the 
irregular flow of the water, which sometimes bubbles 
up two or three feet above the ordinary level, and 
is sometimes almost dry. This is said to be the 
^ King's Pool ' mentioned by Nehemiah. 

Riding about 300 yards farther on, by the side of 
the Brook Kedron, you reach a fertile spot careMly 
cultivated, at the end of which is a causeway forming 
a reservoir, and close by, a very old mulberry-tree, 
said to mai'k the spot where Isaiah was torn asunder 
(by order of King Manasseh) with an iron saw."^ 

* This Horrible punisliment is still occasionally resorted to in Egypt ; 
and a terrible description of it was given to our travellers by a resident 
at Cairo, who bad beard of this barbarity under the administration of 
a governor who was afterwards sent to expiate his cruelty in exile. 
His account was as follows : — 



94 POOL OF 8IL0A3I AND VALLEY OF HmmM, 



Turning to the right, the party came suddenly on 
an overhanging chff; and getting off their horses, 
they scrambled down a few steep steps to the famous 
^ Pool of Siloam.' It is a rectangular basin about 
fifty feet long, and is still resorted to by the people 
for all diseases of the eye. Maiden-hair fern grew 
in profusion round this spring, as well as the ^ hyssop 
on the wall,' so often alluded to in Scripture. 
Our travellers drank of the water, which is clear 
and pleasant, and then remounting, rode on to ^ En 
Kogel,' the ' "Well of Job,' which is situated at the 
junction of two valleys, and is built of massive 
stones of great antiquity. Here the sacred fire of 
the Temple is said to have been hidden during 
the Babylonish Captivity. 

' I was anxious, wlien I first came liere, to make the acquaintance of 
tlie governor of tlie town, wlio seemed a person of most courteous and 
mild demeanour. Still, various stories had been repeated to me wMcli 
seemed to give tlie lie to this impression. He received me with, great 
civility, and invited me to dinner. In the course of conversation, I 
asked him if he found any difficulty in managing his people. He replied, 
" Oh, at first I did. I have tried all kinds of punishments — placing 
them on prickly bushes — flogging them with thorns, and every variety 
of torture. But it was no good — so now I saio them in pieces — they 
are really afraid of that ! " The cool way in which this savage 
related difierent anecdotes of his barbarous cruelty revolted me to 
such a degree, that I could hardly sit out my audience. But even in 
this world he got his deserts ; for his iniquities coming to the ears of 
Ibrahim Pacha, he was degraded from his post, stripped of all his 
ill-gotten goods, and banished to the Blue Mle, with but a single slave 
to attend him. He was there met, in the last stage of destitution, by 
a European traveller, who told me he had spent his last dollar, though 
almost dying of hunger, in buying a bottle of eau-de- cologne — so com- 
pletely did his habits of luxury (acquired in the days of his rapacity) 
cling to him to the end.' 



THE TOMBS OF THE KINGS. 



95 



The whole of the Valley of Hinnom is desolate 
and gloomy to a degree. Here is ' Aceldama/ tlie 
Field of Blood, a deep charnelhouse still used ' to 
bmy strangers in.' And here is the ' blasted tree/ 
on which tradition affirms that Judas hanged him- 
self The whole ground is honeycombed with tombs 
— small gloomy caverns with narrow doorways, 
and Hebrew or Greek inscriptions. It was to 
these tombs that the Apostles are said to have 
fled for safety on the night of the betrayal of Our 
Lord. 

Eeturning to the Brook Kedron, and striking 
upwards by a steep path, which led them past the 
Virgin's Tomb, our party turned to the left, and 
soon found themselves by the famous ^ Tombs of 
the Kings,' on the road to Nablous, and near the 
Damascus Gate. So varied are the theories as to 
the origin of these wonderfld sepulchres, that it is 
hopeless to give an opinion on the subject. M. de 
Saulcy is convinced that they are the restingplaces 
of the Kings of Judah, and boasts of having got a 
sarcophagus (now in the Louvre), with an inscrip- 
tion on it in Hebrew, which leads to the belief that 
the female skeleton it contained must have been 
that of David's daughter. On the other hand, Jose- 
phus, St. Jerome, Eusebius, and others declare that 
the tombs are of much later date, and that the 
principal one is that of the Empress Helena. 

Descending into a vestibule or porch, with a 



96 



THE TOMBS OF THE KINGS. 



beautiful fagade carved in clusters of grapes and 
flowers, you come to the entrance of the principal 
tomb, which is on the south side. This door was 
a marvel of mechanism, being covered with a heavy 
circular slab of stone running into a groove, which 
appeared to form part of the solid rock. It could 
only be opened by pressure from without, so that the 
entrance w^as impracticable except to the initiated ; 
and should an unwary traveller be so unfortunate 
as to enter, and leave the door ajar for a moment, 
his fate was sealed, unless some one would release 
him fi-om without ; as it instantly swung back into 
its place, which it closed as with a vice. Crawling 
into this place almost on hands and knees, our 
party came upon a succession of chambers with 
recesses and sarcophagi — all more or less broken, 
but some finely carved. They resemble a little the 
Tombs of Petra, and are equally devoid of any kind 
of inscription. The Jews resented the explorations 
of M. de Saulcy to such a degree, that he was 
compelled to give them up, and probably no fur- 
ther light will ever be thrown on the mystery which 
is attached to these curious sepulchres. 

The pleasure of our travellers' expedition was 
somewhat damped by an accident which happened 
to one of their party — a vicious little horse ridden 
by one of the ladies having lashed out suddenly, 
and hit a gentleman on the ankle with such force 
that he fainted from the pain. No bones, however, 



THE ARMENIAN CONVENT. 



97 



were broken, cuul Ji few clays later saw Iiim again 
in the saddle. 

The following morning the English Consul again 
offered his services to our party, and escorted them 
to pay a visit to the Armenian Patriarch. The 
Armenians have the finest convent in Jerusalem, 
and situated in the healthiest quarter. The church 
is built on the site of the martyrdom of St. 
James, Bishop of Jerusalem. The Archimandrite 
and his priests received the travellers, with great 
honour, in a magnificent saloon overlooking the 
whole town, of which the walls and floors were 
lined with marble. Pipes, coffee, and sweetmeats 
having been handed round, in the usual oriental 
fashion, they were shown over the convent, which 
is very large, and contains, besides pilgrims' rooms, 
a large seminary for the education of the clergy, 
and a printing establishment, where (as at the great 
Armenian convent at Venice) all the works of the 
community are published. The view from the 
terrace is very fine ; and from thence a covered 
passage leads up a few steps into the library, which 
is a large and valuable one, containing many rare and 
curious manuscripts and illuminated books ; and 
among others, the MS. Avorks of St. Gregory of 
Nyssa. In the convent garden magnificent cypresses 
grow, reminding one more of Tivoli than of Jeru- 
salem. 

From the garden, our travellers were taken 

H 



98 



THE PALACE OF CAIAPHAS, 



into the church, which is the largest in the city 
after that of the Holy Sepulchre. An exquisite 
chapel has been built over the spot where St. James 
(according to Armenian tradition) was buried, by 
the hands of the Blessed Virgin herself, after he 
had been decapitated at Csesarea. The doors are of 
tortoiseshell, most beautifully inlaid with mother- 
of-pearl. They have also the chair of St. James, 
the first Bishop of Jerusalem. The whole church 
is richly decorated ; and from the roof hang a pro- 
fusion of ostrich-eggs and silver lamps, suspended 
from silver chains in festoons, which have a very 
curious and beautiftil effect. The mosaic pavement 
is like that of St. Mark's at Venice. The curtains 
are in very ancient and delicate embroidery, and 
there are some curious and interesting pictures — 
among the rest, one of ^ The Forty Martyrs of 
Sebaste in the Frozen Pool.' 

Afterwards, one of the priests took them down 
a narrow lane to the House of Annas, where a 
tree is shown to which they affirm Our Lord was 
fastened, and where He was ^ smitten on the face,' 
for his reply to the High Priest. From thence 
they came to the Palace of Caiaphas, which is 
also in the hands of the Armenians, and where 
the ftiU measure of insults, ^ shame and spitting,' 
was heaped upon Him who, ' like a lamb before his 
shearers/ opened not His mouth. Here also He 
was thrice denied by Peter — as if nothing were to 



THE RUSSIAN CONSULATK 



99 . 



be wanting in His sufferings : not only the sliamc, 
and the acute torture of coarseness and brutality, to 
His exquisitely sensitive nature, but the contempt 
with which His love was met by His own people ; 
and, worse still, the desertion — the loneliness ; for 
^ all the disciples forsook Him and fled,' save the 
one who denied Him ! In all the steps of His 
Passion He was alone, in the midst of a crowd 
thirsting for His precious Blood. 

The Armenians also showed our travellers the 
Stone which was rolled away from the Sepulchre, 
and the Prison where Our Lord was thrust while 
waiting for examination.* 

Leaving these sad and painful spots, the English 
Consul next rode with them outside the town, to 
what is somewhat profanely called ^ New Jerusalem ' 
— the immense buildings, college, pilgrims' home, 
and church, lately erected by the Russian Govern- 
ment not far from the Jaffa Gate, and which really 

* Faber writes of this spot : ' There is a vision given in the medita- 
tions of Sister Emmerich, which is, to say the least of it, most artisti- 
cally beautiful. Jesus, to be least troublesome, had been sunk by His 
guard into a kind of well, and is sitting at the bottom, with His hands 
tied behind Him. The sun of Good Friday rises above the hills, and 
mounts into the sky, and at length has attained sufficient altitude to 
pierce the well mth one slanting ray. It lights on Jesus. That solitary 
beam of brightness illuminates Him in the depth of His dungeon, and 
He raises His drooping eyes to meet it. The creature is illuminating its 
Creator ! His face is pale as death, disfigured with blood, and earth, and 
spittle — His hair drenched, matted, and disordered — His hands mana- 
cled and pinioned — His vesture disfigured and disarrayed : and there 
He is in the first sight of that sun, at whose setting the great mystery 
.of woe will be complete and over.' 

H 2 



100 



THJ^ DUKE BE LUISNES. 



forms a town of itself The Russian Consul re- 
ceived our travellers with great courtesy, claiming 
them as countrymen (which, in part, they were), 
and showed them over the whole place. He resides 
there, as well as the clever and agreeable Russian 
bishop, Kyrillos, who, from his singularly attractive 
manner and appearance, is a universal favourite at 
Jerusalem. The view from the terrace is fine, but 
both that and the gardens are as yet unfinished. 
The fittings of the church are gorgeous, and have 
all been executed and sent from Moscow. The 
panels of the organ-loft and screen are all beauti- 
fully painted with full-length figures of saints on 
a gold ground, and the carving of the oak lecterns, 
altar, and seats is very fine. But the lamps are 
more beautiful than all the rest, both in design and 
execution. 

The Duke de Luisnes had just arrived with his 
iron ship, which he was going to launch on the 
Dead Sea. It had been with the utmost difiiculty 
that the difierent pieces of the vessel had been 
brought from Jaffa, on account of their tremendous 
weight ; and the poor camels, lying down in the 
court below, seemed perfectly exhausted with the 
fatigue they had undergone. Afterwards, our tra- 
vellers heard that the ship had turned out a failure, 
owing to the heat : no one could stand the reflec- 
tion of the sun on those iron-plated sides. 

The following day, the Prussian Consul, Dr. 



THE SYRIAN PATRIARCH AND CHURCH. loi 



Rosen, the best antiquarian antliority in Jerusalem, 
Avent Avitli our ^^^irty to pay a visit to the Syrian 
Patriarch, Mar Gregorius, whose very curious old 
palace, church, and convent are in a street near the 
English hospital. The venerable Bishop received 
them in the usual Eastern fashion, in a saloon fitted 
up with divans, on which they squatted, and had 
coffee, sweetmeats, and pipes. They found he had 
just returned from India, where he had visited the 
primitive branch of his Church on the Malabar 
Coast — a mission which dates back to the times of 
St. Thomas, and where they have maintained the 
same rites and ceremonies as in the days of the 
Apostles. He showed them a roll containing a 
panoramic representation of his travels, and of the 
procession in which he went to the church at Tra- 
vancore, done by a native artist. The Eajah, who 
is a Christian prince, received him with royal 
honours. One of the pictures represented his land- 
ing from a longboat, the priests meeting him with 
crucifix and crosier, but the whole very grotesque in 
form and colour — the rowers painted in red and 
yellow, and very Chinese as to perspective. There 
are upwards of 70,000 Christians there. 

The Patriarch next showed them a very curious 
old Syriac copy of the Four Gospels, 1200 years 
old, written very beautifully in Syriac on parchment. 
The book was enclosed in a silver-gilt case embossed 
with figures, and with very curious clasps. He then 



102 KAISmSWmm DEAG0NE8SES : BISHOP GOBAT. 



proposed to take them into the church, built on the 
site of the House of St. Mark, or rather the house 
' where Mary the mother of John, whose surname 
was Mark,' abode. It is a very interesting old 
church, and contains a curious ancient font with a 
cover of silver, in which St. Mark is said to have 
been baptized ; and also a Byzantine picture of the 
Blessed Virgin, said to have been painted by St. 
Luke — a very beautiful Madonna, more like a Luini 
than one of the usual Byzantine paintings. The 
venerable Patriarch was a handsome old man with 
a flovfing white beard, and was dressed in violet 
lined with red, and a wonderful black veiled head- 
dress. 

From the Syrian convent. Dr. Eosen took the 
party to see the Kaiserswerth Deaconesses, who 
have a school, hospital, and dispensary near the 
English Protestant church. The Superior, Char- 
lotte Piltz, is a very remarkable person, and she 
and her sisters have done a great deal of good among 
the poor and sick at Jerusalem. 

The Protestant Bishop (Gobat) lives in a house 
adjoining, and has alternate German, Hebrew, and 
English services in his church. He vfas for a long 
time a missionary in Abyssinia, and showed our 
travellers a curious manuscript ft^om Mount Sinai, 
and a photograph of the oldest known copy of 
the Old and New Testament, in Greek, of the 
third century. The Book of the Maccabees, as 



THE CHURCH OF ST, ANN. 



103 



well as of the Apocalypse, is inserted in it as 
canonical. 

Another very interesting expedition made by our 
travellers was with the obliging French Consul, M. de 
Barrere, who called for them one morning to take 
them to the Church of St. Ann. He had good- 
naturedly brought with him a magnificent white 
donkey for one of the ladies, who was still suffering 
from the scorpion-sting of Karnac. But the beast had 
a will and way of his own, and, in spite of the exer- 
tions of both the ^ cawasses,' insisted on dragging 
his rider in every direction but the right one, and 
in refusing to stop when she wished to do so. 

The Chxu"ch of St. Ann stands on the slope of a 
hill near the St. Stephen's Gate. It was built by 
the Crusaders over the House of St. Ann, mother 
of the Blessed Virgin, and is mentioned in all the 
early chronicles. At first it was used as a home for 
two or three widow ladies, who wished to lead a 
quiet religious life. Then it was appropriated to 
the Benedictines, and became a large and flourish- 
ing convent, the wife of Baldwin I. having taken 
the veil there. When the Crusaders were diiven out 
of Jerusalem, Saladin converted the convent into 
a college ; but it soon fell into decay, and remained 
a semi-ruin till about twenty years ago, when the 
reigning Sultan made it over to the Emperor 
of the French, who is now restoring it with 
great pomp and splendour. It is said that the 



104 HOSPITAL OF THE KNIGHTS OF ST. JOHN. 



Empress Eugenie has set her heart on coming to 
the opening. 

Passing down the narrow street about thirty 
yards beyond the Court of the Holy Sepulchre, 
there is a picturesque Gothic gateway, on which, 
among various defaced carvings, that of a * Lamb ' 
is clearly visible. This is the entrance to the Hos- 
pital of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem — that 
once noble foundation, of which only a few broken 
walls and ruined chambers now remain. Founded 
in the eleventh century, by some merchants of 
Amalfi, as a Hospital for Poor Pilgrims, and dedi- 
cated to St. John (the Patriarch of Alexandria), 
Godfi-ey de Bouillon was hospitably received and 
entertained there after his conquest of J erusalem ; 
and from that time it became the cradle and home 
of a military and religious Order, distinguished 
throughout Christendom for its piety, humility, and 
valour. The knights adopted as their costume a 
black dress with a white cross on the left breast ; 
and when the struggle began once more between 
the Christians and the Moslems for the possession 
of the Holy Places, the knights took up arms in 
defence of the Holy Sepulchre, and for a long time, 
by prodigies of valour, maintained their position 
against the overwhelming force of the enemy. When 
the Christians were finally defeated at Acre, in 1291, 
these gallant knights fought to the last ; and only 
a shattered remnant, covered with wounds and 



HOSPITAL OF THE KNIGHTS OF ST, JOHN. 105 



blood, set sail for Cyprus, and finally established 
themselves in the Island of Ehodes. 

Full of these recollections, our travellers picked 
their way through the dirty archway and still dirtier 
court to a staircase leading to a little cloister. On 
the south side are the walls of three rooms, one 
of which is very large, and said to have been the 
refectory. On the other side are the ruins of what 
must have been an oratory, with one or two Gothic 
windows, of which fi-agments of the tracery only 
remain. There is scarcely a vestige of the once fine 
church dedicated to the Virgin ' de Latina,' except 
the wall of the principal apse, where the High Altar 
must have stood. All the rest is gone, and a patch 
of green covers the space once occupied by devout 
worshippers of the ' Lamb,' slain for His people's 
sins. Underneath are extensive walls and stabling, 
and lately a new gateway has been discovered, men- 
tioned by Josephus, and valuable (according to Dr. 
Eosen) as an evidence of the authenticity of the 
site of Calvary ; this gate being described as at a 
certain distance from the place where the instru- 
ments of torture were thrown, which distance tallies 
exactly with the position of the chapel where the 
relics of the True Cross were found. 

There are the ruins of a second church a little 
farther on, which is supposed to have been the one 
dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene, and attached to 
a Benedictine nunnery, which stood on the oppo- 



io6 



THU GREEK PATRIARCH. 



site side of what is now called Palmer Street, near 
the Coptic convent. This site is now occupied by 
a tannery. Close to this is a tall minaret, which 
the legend asserts was built on the spot where 
Omar prayed on taking possession of Jerusalem ; 
the Caliph having generously declined to pray in 
the church, lest the Moslems should make that an 
excuse for taking it away from the Christians. 
Would that this magnanimous spirit existed among 
the Turks of the present day ! 

From the Hospital of the Knights of St. John of 
Jerusalem, M. de Barrere took our travellers to call 
on the Greek Patriarch, who lives close to the 
Church of the Holy Sepulchre — an arched passage 
over ^ Christian Street ' connecting it with the sacred 
building itself. Our travellers were received, as 
usual, with the greatest kindness and courtesy, and 
shown into a saloon, of which the only ftirniture 
was the divan, on which sat the Patriarch and half 
a dozen ecclesiastics — all dressed in black robes 
edged with ftir, and with the black high square caps 
peculiar to the Greek Church. Two subdeacons 
waited on the company, and brought them what 
appeared to be a never-ending succession of coffee, 
sweetmeats, and pipes. The Patriarch himself is a 
most venerable old man, between eighty and ninety 
years old. He was very kind, and desired his 
secretary to show everything in the convent to the 
English strangers, and to take them up to the dome 



THE BADGE OF THE CRUSADERS. 



107 



of the Holy Sepulchre, from whence the view of the 
building below is very striking.* 

The Patriarch's library is large, and contains some 
very interesting MSS. and books ; among the rest, 
a curious MS. of the Gospels, written in gold letters 
on purple vellum, with beautiful illuminations of 
the ninth century ; and a copy of the Book of Job 
of the twelfth century, with miniatures of Job and 
his friends on every page. In the church is a very 
curious picture of the Blessed Virgin and Child, 
said to be painted by St. Luke ; but only the face 
and hands are visible ; the rest is covered over 
Avith plates of gold or silver-gilt. The views from 
the terrace and from the con- 
vent-garden are very fine. 

The same evening some 
of the party submitted to the 
operation of tattooing the 
Crusaders' ' Arms of Jerusa- 
lem ' on the wrist, which most 
pilgrims desire to have done 
as an unfading memorial of 

their Holy Land visit. The general device is the 
Franciscan Cross in the centre, with the three crowns 
of the Magi below, and the Star of Bethlehem ; 
while round the cross are two palm-branches, and 

* The restoration of the dome, which was in the most melancholy 
state of dilapidation at the time this was written, has now been under- 
taken by the Russian and French Governments, and the work is ad- 
vancing rapidly towards completion. — June, 1867. 




io8 



THE CCENACULUM. 



above, the word ' J emsalem.' The operation is per- 
formed, as such devices generally are among sailors, 
by the punctm^e of hot needles in the given pattern, 
into which a preparation of gunpowder is then 
inserted. It takes about twenty-five minutes, and 
is rather painful, both at the time and for some 
days after, as the arm generally inflames a good 
deal ; but it is, of course, indelible. 

The following morning the Marquise N took 

one of the party to Mount Zion, to show her the 
Coenaculum, or ' large upper room furnished,' where 
Our Lord supped with His disciples before His 
Passion. Underneath is the Tomb of David (undis- 
puted until this century), where the Prophet King 
and Solomon his son were interred in sepulchres 
hewn out of the rock, and probably remain there to 
this day, though walled up by the superstitious 
fears of the Moslems, like the sepulchre of the 
Patriarchs in Hebron. At the east end of the 
Coenaculum is a little niche, and here our pilgrims 
knelt and prayed with the Franciscan father who 
served as their guide. It is the same room and the 
same site mentioned by St. Cyril, Bishop of Jeru- 
salem in the fourth century, as that in which the 
Apostles were assembled when they received the 
Holy Ghost on the Day of Pentecost. Epiphanius 
states distinctly that this building escaped destruc- 
tion when the city was taken by Titus. It was 
used by the Franciscans as a convent till the six- 



THE CCENACULUM. 



109 



teenth century, when tliey were expelled from it by 
Jewish and Moslem intrigues. Mass is, however, still 
said in this room from time to time, and especially 
on Holy Thursday, the day of the institution of 
the Holy Eucharist, when the feet of the pilgrims 
are likewise washed here, in commemoration of the 
same service performed on this identical spot by 
Our Lord. Here St. James w^as elected Bishop 
of Jerusalem, and a tradition (common in the fourth 
and fifth centuries) ascribes also to this building 
the honour of having been the home of the Blessed 
Virgin and St. John after Our Lord's Ascension into 
heaven. 

How is it possible to describe the thoughts which 
throng upon the mind in a site like this ? First, the 
remembrance of Our Blessed Lord. Long before 
the hour came He had looked forward to that scene 
in the supper-room. ' Having loved His own. He 
loved them to the end,' and reserved the chief in- 
vention of His love until He had come to the very 
threshold of His Passion, and they were about to 
be parted. ' With desire have I desired te eat this 
Passover with you.' Is there anything which fills 
us more full of reverence and love than those 
passages of St. Thomas Aquinas on the subject of 
Our Lord's communion ? And, as if such thouo:hts 
were not already more than one could bear, there 
comes the whole vision of the Day of Pentecost 
— that anxious, m0urnfi.1l, yet expectant group wait- 



110 



THE CCENACULUM, 



ing for ^ the Comforter' — the ^ Paraclete.' (St.Atha- 
nasius notes that the word does not exist in the 
Old Testament.) And then He comes — with such 
vehemence of love ! — ' as a rushing wind/ to bring 
' all things to their remembrance ; ' to teach them 
adoration, and fortitude, and love, and joy ; that they 
might dare all things and bear all things for their 
Lord. And with His presence came the farther 
certainty — the untold support — of knowing that He 
would be with them always, ' even to the end of 
the world ; ' that He would be the fire kindled in 
the hearts of men, to fill them with the love of God 
and of each other ; and that He would for ever 
guide, and direct, and inspire ^Christ's Body,' 
which is the Church, in which He dwells now and 
for evermore. 

The Moslems jealously guard this chamber, so 
it was with much difficulty that permission was 
obtained for a portable altar to be placed in one 
corner for the celebration of the Divine Sacrifice ; but 
none who knelt there could forget the feelings the 
spot called forth. It was the Friday before what is 
called, by Catholics, Passion Week, and the awfiil 
days were drawing near which were to commemo- 
rate the last events in the life of the Son of Man. 
The eleventh chapter of St. John is appointed to 
be read for the Gospel of that day; and, in conse- 
quence, a touching pilgrimage is performed by the 
people to the scene of that portion of Holy Writ 



THE HOUSE OF MARY AND MARTHA, iii 



— to Bethany, that quiet little village nestled 
in a gorge of the mountains beyond the Mount 
of Olives, and on the direct road to Jericho and 
the Dead Sea. 

Leaving the town by St. Stephen's Gate, our 
travellers rode down the steep hill, and up again by 
a rugged and uneven path which skirts the moun- 
tain-side ; and after half an hour's more scrambling, 
came suddenly to a turn in the road which brought 
them in front of the House of Mary and Martha, the 
site of which has lately been purchased by the Mar- 
quise de N , with the hope of converting it 

into a chapel. At the back is a garden, and beyond 
that, facing the opposite side of the hill, is a long 
low building, with a door which opens on a flight of 
twenty-eight steps, leading down to a small vaulted 
chamber, beyond which is a tomb hewn out of the 
rock. This is the Grave of Lazarus, a place ap- 
parently untouched since the words ' Come forth ! ' 
issued from the Divine lips. Adjoining the cavern 
was once a Benedictine convent, now in ruins ; and 
a little beyond is the stone on which Our Saviour 
rested when Martha met him with the faithftil yet 
half-reproachful words, 'Lord, if thou hadst been 
here my brother had not died.' 

What Capernaum was in Galilee, Bethany was in 
Judea~the home to which Our Blessed Lord re- 
tired for rest and prayer after His day of thank- 
less toil in the city of Jerusalem. Here also He 



1 12 



BETHANY. 



deigned specially to sanctify human love and human 
fi-iendship^ not only by His words, but by His ex- 
ample. It is written that ' Jesus loved Martha, and 
her sister (Mary), and Lazarus' — not only holy 
Lazarus^ not only contemplative Mary, who loved 
to sit at His dear feet and drink in His precious 
words — but the bustling, toiling, painstaking Martha, 
the one who was cumbered ' with much serving ' 
and many worldly cares. What a comfort this 
thought should be to us ! 

Here also, in this same Bethany, was the house 
of Simon the Leper, where ^ the woman with an 
alabaster box of precious ointment ' poured it on 
Our Lord's head as He sat at meat, and thereby 
gave occasion to one of those touching lessons 
from his lips on the value in God's sight of even 
prodigal offerings to the Body of Our Lord, which 
is His Church on earth, and a warning to the uti- 
litarian spirit of even good people in our day, 
who think all ^ waste ' which is not given to visible 
works of charity. From Bethany, again. Our Saviour 
set out on the morning of his triumphal entry into 
Jerusalem ; and by this obvious path our pilgrims, 
after Mass, retraced their steps. Dean Stanley's 
description of this scene is so vivid that we cannot 
refi*ain from copying a portion of it in a note, as 
nothing could well be added to or taken fi-om it."^^ 

* ' Two vast streams of people met on that day. The one poured ont 
from the city ; and, as they came through the gardens whose ckisters of 



BETHANY. 



SlioiilJ our thoughts go back to still earlier Bible 
story, we may trace likewise here, the flight of David 
from Absalom, when he went over the Brook Ke- 
dron towards the way of the wilderness, and went 
up ' weeping ' by the ascent of Olivet. Steps are 

palm-trees rose on the southern corner of Olivet, they cut down the long 
branches, as was their wont at the Feast of Tabernacles, and moved 
upwards towards Bethany with loud shouts of welcome. From Bethany 
streamed forth the crowds who had assembled there on the previous 
night, and who came testifying to the great event at the sepulchre of 
Lazarus. The road soon loses sight of Bethany. It is now a rough 
but still broad and well-defined mountain track, winding over rocks 
and loose stones : a steep declivity below on the left ; the sloping 
shoulder of Olivet above on the right ; fig-trees below and above, here 
and there, growing out of the rocky soil. Along the road the multi- 
tude threw doT^Ti the branches, which they cut as they went along . . . 
The larger portion unwi^apped their loose cloaks from their shoulders, 
and stretched them along the rough path, to form a momentary carpet 
as He approached. The two streams met . . . Gradually the long 
procession swept round the little valley that furrows the hill and over 
the ridge on its western side, where first begins the " descent of the 
Mount of Olives " towards Jerusalem. At this point the first view is 
caught of the south-eastern corner of the city. ... It was at this 
precise point . . . that the shout of triumph, the earliest hymn of 
Christian devotion, burst forth from the multitude — " Hosanna to the 
Son of David ! " . . . There was a pause as the shout rang through 
the long defile : and as the Pharisees, who stood by in the crowd, 
complained. He pointed to the stones, which, stre^Ti beneath their 
feet, would immediately " cry out," if " these were to hold their 
peace." Again the procession advanced. The road descends a slight 
declivity, and the glimpse of the city is again Avithdrawn behind the 
intervening ridge of Olivet. A few moments, and the path mounts 
again ; it climbs a rugged ascent, it reaches a ledge of smooth rock, 
and in an instant the whole city bursts into view. . . . Immediately 
below is the Valley of the Kedron, here seen in its greatest depths as 
it joins the Valley of Hinnom, and thus giving full effect to the great 
peculiarity of Jerusalem, seen only on its eastern side — its situation 
as of a city rising out of a deep abyss. It is hardly possible to doubt 
that this rise and turn of the road — this rocky ledge — was the exact 
point where the multitude paused again and " He, when He beheld the 
city, wept over it.'" — Stanley's Sinai and Palestine. 

I 



114 



PALM SUNDAY, 



cut in the limestone rock, proving the antiquity of 
the path. Here also he was met by Hushai, whom 
he sent back to the city to watch over his cause, 
and defeat the counsel of Ahithophel : and here 
too, when David was a little past the top of the 
hill, he encountered Ziba, the wily servant of Mephi- 
bosheth : and then forth from Bethany came Shimei 
to curse the ^ Lord's anointed,' which gave occasion, 
to that beautiful answer of the sorrowful yet penitent 
monarch to his followers, who wished to avenge the 
insult — ^ Let him alone, and let him curse ; for the 
Lord hath bid him : and who is he that shall dare 
say, TVhy hath he done so ? ' 

The ensuing weeks were spent by one of the party 
almost exclusively in the services of each day, leav- 
ing much to remember but little to record, except 
of such a nature as would be more suited to a reli- 
gious work than to a book of travels. On Palm 
Sunday the ceremony was singularly impressive. 
The palms were laid up in the Chapel of the Holy 
Sepulchre, and then blessed by the venerable Pa- 
triarch, at a temporary altar erected in front of the 
entrance to the Greek Church, and given by him to 
each pilgrim as he or she passed and knelt at his 
feet to kiss his hand. The antiplion ^ Pueri Hebrse- 
orum portantes ramos,' &c., never appeared more 
real or more appropriate. Then followed the pro- 
cession round the Holy Sepulchre, and the glorious 
hymn, ' Gloria, laus et honor ; ' and the prayer went 



PALM SUNDAY, 



up from every lioai't and voice, ^ AVitli the angels 
and children let us be found faithful.' 

The various services of that week will ever re- 
main in the memory of our travellers in connection 
with the sacred spots where they were commemo- 
rated, but that of Good Friday must be reserved 
for another chapter. 



I 2 



ii6 



GOOD FRIDAY AT JERUSALEM, 



CHAPTER IV. 

GOOD FRIDAY AT JERUSALEM.* 

It is the evening of Holy Thursday. The last wail 
of the Tenehrce has died out of the aisles of the 
solemn Church of the Holy Sepulchre. A temporary 
altar had been erected in the morning, opposite the 
sacred shrine where our dear Lord was laid, and 
upwards of a thousand pilgrims had received the 
Bread of Life from the hands of the venerable 
Patriarch. But now this altar has been removed, 
and one by one the worshippers had departed, save 
such of the Franciscan monks as had been ap- 
pointed to watch throughout the night by the Blessed 
Sacrament, and whom the Turks had consequently 
locked into the building. 

In the Church of St. Salvatore all is profoundly 
dark, save in the chapel on the left, where the 
Blessed Sacrament has been deposited in the Sepul- 
chre until the terrible day be over which witnessed 
the death-agony of the Son of God. That side- 
chapel is decorated on all sides with beautiful plants 

* This episode in our travellers' journal is reprinted, almost literally, 
from tlie Month. 



GOOD FRIDAY AT JERUSALEM. 



117 



and flowers, and illuminated with a multitude of 
tapers. There two figures are kneeling, motion- 
less and absorbed in prayer. One by one the Fran- 
ciscan monks, wearied with their long fast and the 
terrible penances of the night before, have disap- 
peared through the side-door which leads into their 
dormitory. Still the two watchers kneel on. They 
are women. The one still young, dressed in deep 
widow's mourning ; the other older, and bearing on 
her face traces of still deeper suffering, yet with an 
expression of peace which spoke of that suffering 
having been accepted for the love of Him who sent 

it. Six years ago this lady, the Marquise de , 

of noble and even royal blood, had come, like 
her young English companion, as a stranger and 
pilgrim to Jerusalem, and there felt the irresistible 
attraction which, in spite of its mournfulness and 
desolation, binds every heart to the Holy City. She 
found likewise that there was a great work for any 
woman to do who was willing to devote herself to 
such a life ; the work of a St. Paula, to assist in 
receiving and looking after the female pilgrims, 
who, at Christmas and Easter tides, flock by hun- 
dreds to the Casa Nuova ; to have the care of the 
altars of the different churches and chapels, of the 
linen and vestments, decorations, &c. And so she 
has stayed on, doing the work of a deaconess, invalu- 
able to the Franciscan Fathers, who marvel now 
how they got on before without her, and leading 



ii8 



GOOD FRIDAY AT JEBTJBALEM, 



a life of austere penance and devotion in the Third 
Order of St. Francis. She has devoted the whole 
of her fortune to buying up the Holy Places when- 
ever an opportunity offers, and rescuing them from 
desecration at the hands of the Turks ; and has 
thus reduced herself to the state of holy poverty 
which St. Francis loved so well. At Emmaus she 
has bought the house of Cleophas, and erected a 
chapel and hospice on the very spot where our 
Blessed Lord ' was made known to them in the 
breaking of bread.' Again, the house of Mary and 
Martha at Bethany and the grave of Lazarus, the 
scene of the miracle at Cana in Galilee, and other 
sacred spots, she, one by one, has redeemed from 
Turkish rapacity and converted into sanctuaries, to 
which special Indulgences are attached. It is a 
blessed work, little known to the outside world, and 
still less thought of by her whose deep humility 
veils every action in the sense of her own un- 
worthiness. 

But to return to our tale. This loving watcher 
by our Lord's Body at last rose, and touching her 
companion, said softly : ^ My child, you must come 
and rest ; remember to-morrow morning.' The 
two women left the church reluctantly, and threaded 
their way up the steep and narrow street to the 
Casa Nuova, where, bowing their heads to the ^ God 
be with you ! ' of the Spanish monk who let them 
through the heavy nailed door, they walked swiftly 



GOOD FRIDAY AT JERUSALEM, 



119 



up the stairs and through the long corridor to the 
two cells set apart for their use, the largest and 
most comfortable of which had been given up by 
the elder lady to the younger, in spite of her remon- 
strances. ^ I am at home here,' she replied, ' and 
you are not used to our hard life ; ' and by this act 
of true Christian charity she enabled the English 
traveller to remain in the convent when the great 
influx of pilgrims from the French caravan had 
compelled the Custode dei Santi Luoghi to tell her 
she must seek a lodging elsewhere. 

Five hours later, the same women, closely veiled 
and carrying a lantern, were toiling painfully down 
the rugged and slippery street which leads through 
the bazaars to the other side of the city. 

From thence they proceeded, with still swifter 
steps, under the arch, passed the gate of the Convent 
of the Pere Ratisbon, where the Filles de Sion have 
established their admirable orphanage, and so on 
to the postern-gate in the wall which admitted them 
to the courtyard of the Church of the Flagellation. 

^ His Royal Highness is not yet arrived,' said the 
lay brother as he unbarred the door ; ' but he will 
not long tarry : it is just four o'clock.' 

So saying, he ushered the ladies in to the cloister 
and then into the church, where the only light was 
thrown on the column of the Flagellation, that 
terrible monument of man's impiety and the long- 
suffering of God. In a few moments the door again 



120 GOOD FRIDAY AT JERUSALEM. 



opened, and admitted a man still young, of noble 
and aristocratic bearing, (followed by two eccle- 
siastics and two other gentlemen,) who advanced in 
front of the column, and pushing aside the cushion 
placed for him, knelt on the ground in long and 
fervent adoration. An exile from his country and 
his kingdom, this royal pilgrim had come, in earnest 
faith and deep humility, to visit the scenes of his 
Saviour's sufferings and death. Bareheaded he had 
walked fi-om the city gates, on his first arrival, to 
the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, discarding all 
pomp and retinue, and compelling the Pacha, who 
had come out to meet him w^ith due honours, to 
Avalk bareheaded likewise by his side, behind the 
symbol of man's redemption. And in the same 
spirit he had chosen this early hour to follow 
unnoticed, and almost alone, the footsteps of the 
Lord he loved so well, in that awful Via Dolorosa 
which witnessed the most touching portion of His 
Passion. 

The solemn service began. Commencing with 
the Prsetorium of Pilate, where the terrible sentence 
was pronounced, the little band of worshippers 
followed the sacred and sorrowfril path down the 
steep hill, kneeling at the different stations, heedless 
of the mud ; while the low chant of the ' Stabat 
Mater ' echoed through the deserted streets. The 
day was just breaking when they arrived at the 
House of Mary, from whence the Mother of Sorrows 



GOOD FRIDAY AT JERUSALEM. 



121 



liiiiTied forth to meet her Divine Son. Those who 
know the spot, and arc famihar with the wonderful 
' Good-Friday ' picture of De la Roche, will marvel 
at the accuracy with which the painter has, perhaps 
unconsciously, depicted the room and the window 
from which our Lady first beheld that mournful 
procession which must have wrung her heart with 
anguish unspeakable. 

At the House (so called) of Veronica a little in- 
terruption occurred fi-om a file of camels passing 
along the narrow and ill-paved street ; but their 
drivers, with skill and care, made them avoid the 
kneeling figures. With all their bigotry and hatred 
of the Christian faith, the Turks have an instinctive 
reverence for every outward expression of devotion. 
Fearless, and without false shame themselves in all 
matters regarding their faith, no sooner does the 
cry fi:om the minaret announce the hour of prayer 
than they will break off whatever occupation 
or conversation they may be engaged in, and, 
spreading their carpet, instantly kneel and repeat 
the form which their religion prescribes. Which 
of us has the like courage when the Angelus bell 
summons us, in the company of others, to dwell 
for a few moments on the mystery of the Incar- 
nation ? 

At the Seventh Station, a bazaar has been built 
across the Yia Dolorosa, which compels the pilgrims 
to make a detour through the remains of what was 



122 



GOOD FRIDAY AT JERUSALEM, 



once the Hospice of the Knights Templars, in order 
to arrive at the station where our Blessed Lord ad- 
dressed the daughters of Jerusalem, ^ who mourned 
and bewailed Him.' It is a blessed and comforting 
thought to women, wearied with the struggle and 
strife and misunderstandings of this hard world, 
that to them alone was granted the unspeakable 
privilege of ministering to His Sacred Humanity, 
and that He never rejected their love or their sym- 
pathy. The last at the Cross, and the first at the 
Sepulchre, it was to a woman that our Master first 
showed Himself after His Resurrection. Therefore 
let them take heart, going forth, like Mary, to meet 
Him with His Cross, ministering to the suffering 
members of His sacred body, and keeping ever near 
to His sacred feet ; and so will their love and fidelity 
meet with its reward, and they will be reckoned 
among those ' whose names are written in the Book 
of Life.' 

At last the gates of the Holy Sepulchre are 
reached, that wonderful church which encloses in 
its wide area the scenes of the last five stations. 
But here an unexpected obstacle presented itself. 
In spite of all the blood and treasure wasted in the 
Crimean war (a war which was the climax of a 
rupture founded on a dispute on the subject of the 
Holy Places), the Turks still retain unmolested 
possession of that building so sacred to the heart of 
every Christian, and with petty tyranny continually 



GOOD FRIDAY AT JERUSALEM, 123 

refuse to open it at the hours desired by the pil- 
grims. On this occasion even the presence of the 
royal duke did not induce them to open the door a 
moment sooner than had been fixed by the Pacha ; 
and for more than an hour the little group stood 
or knelt on the steps leading to the side-chapel of 
the Blessed Virgin. At last the doors are thrown 
open, and the little procession, passing by the Stone 
of Unction, and up the steps leading to the Chapel 
of Calvary, come to the spot where, stripped of His 
garments, our Divine Lord was nailed to His Cross. 
The exact place is pointed out, and is on the right 
of that terrible hole where the Cross was sunk when 
lifted up, whereby He that hung thereon ' might 
clraw^ all men unto Himself.' Here also, during that 
exquisite time of torture. His Blessed Mother stood ; 
and the voices of the kneelers are choked Avith 
emotion as the words ^ Sancta 3Iater, istud agas,' 
&c. echo through the sacred building. To the left 
now they turn, to the very spot where the tremendous 
sacrifice was consummated, and where the riven 
rock still remains as a standing witness of that 
awful mystery. Thence, passing again dow^n the 
steps, it was with a sense of relief from a pain and 
tension too great to be borne that the pilgrims came 
to the beautiful low shrine where, the anguish and 
torture of the three hours' agony being over, the 
earthly remains of our dear Lord w^ere laid. Cross- 
ing the outer chapel, where still remains the stone 



124 



GOOD FRIDAY AT JERUSALEM. 



on which the angel sat when he appeared to the 
women after the Resurrection, and bowing under 
the long low arch which leads into the inner shrine, 
they knelt one by one in the tiny sanctuary where 
the open Sepulchre seems to speak once more of 
hope and joy, and to re-echo the words, ' He is not 
here : He is risen. Behold the place where the 
Lord lay/ 

The Yia Crucis is over. It is seven o'clock, and 
the impressive and beautiful office of the day has 
begun. The Chapel of Calvary is crowded almost to 
suffocation with kneeling figures in deep mourning. 
Everything is hung with black. The Lessons and 
the Passion are over, and the venerable Patriarch, 
rising, begins to uncover the Crucifix, while the 
monks intone the Ecce, lignum Crucis ! Then com- 
mences that portion of the office which none can 
ever forget who have witnessed it at Rome ; how 
much less at Jerusalem, in the very spot which wit- 
nessed the actual throes and death-agony of the 
Man-God and the woes of His Mother ! One by 
one the worshippers rise and prostrate themselves 
in adoration three times, kissing the feet of their 
Lord, while the wail of the Reproaches rises and 
falls, and reverberates through the sacred shrine. 
The Crux fidelis and Pange lingua are taken up 
by the choir, and then, the mournful ceremony over, 
the candles on the altar are lighted, illuminating 
the many upturned and weeping faces, and the 



GOOD FRIDAY AT JERUSALEM. 



125 



priests go in procession to the chapel below to 
bring back the Blessed Sacrament, which has been 
deposited in the Holy Sepulchre the preceding day ; 
Avhile the glorious hymn Vexilla Begis is sung by 
the whole congregation. Our English traveller, 
absorbed in the emotions of the place and of the 
hour, had remained motionless after the adoration, 
until the beginning of Vespers, when she turned to 
look at her companion, whose fragile and attenuated 
form still knelt beside her, while her face seemed 
lighted lip with an unearthly glow, redeeming 
features which had no great natural beauty, and 
making one think of the old German pictures of 
saints. And now the anthem Consummatiim est is 
over, and the Miserere is taken up by both priest 
and people ; and then again the lights are extin- 
guished, and the altar is stripped as before, and all 
is desolate. It is impossible to exaggerate the effect 
of this office on this spot, or the sense of utter 
desolation which falls upon the soul when all is 
over. It is an approach to Mary's sorrow, and a 
shadow of it ; but to one who has not felt it, it 
cannot be explained. We have read of the Cruci- 
fixion all our lives, and have tried in our various 
degrees to realise it ; but here we see it, as it were, 
with our bodily eyes, which help out our weak faith, 
and our devotion to the dolours of our Mother 
heightens and deepens our devotion to the Passion 
of her Son. 



126 



GOOD FRIDAY AT JERUSALEM, 



It was with a feeling of utter faintness and ex- 
haustion that the two ladies whose steps we have 
followed turned at last out of the sacred build- 
ing, and bent their steps homewards. It was only 
ten o'clock in the morning, but many days seemed 
to have been crowded into the preceding seven 
hours. 

At the turn leading into the principal bazaar the 
English lady stopped : ' Dear friend, I must go ; 
my friends will be waiting for me ; I will meet you 
in the evening.' So saying, she left the Marquise, 
and passed rapidly through the bazaar, where beads 
and rosaries and mother-of-pearl crucifixes are the 
principal articles of commerce, stopping at last at a 
little hotel lately opened, and looking on what is 
called ^ Hezekiah's pool.' The English were swarm- 
ing out of this inn, on their way to the solitary 
English service given in Holy Week by Bishop 
Gobat and his staff at the Protestant church lately 
erected near the Gate of David. Nowhere is the 
unhappy position of the Anglican Establishment 
so painfully exhibited as at Jerusalem. It is con- 
founded with every kind of German Protestantism. 
Every other Church — Latin, Greek, Armenian and 
Copt, Syrian and Maronite — has its altar and its 
shrine within the area of the Holy Sepulchre. The 
Protestants alone have no part or parcel in the 
sacred inheritance, and have no share in the spots 
where our dear Lord suffered and died and was 



GOOD FRIDAY AT JERUSALEM. 127 

buried. How any one belonging to the High- 
Church party can go to Jerusalem and share in its 
solemn services, and come away unconverted, sur- 
passes comprehension. The ordinary Protestant 
takes refuge in a comfortable kind of scepticism as 
regards every spot and every tradition held by the 
Church ; and their position is, at any rate, more 
intelligible. 

In the afternoon of that day the same black 
figure was seen passing through the bazaar, where 
the Turkish venders were squatted on their boards, 
under the shade of their bright-coloured awnings, 
consoling themselves, as usual, with their long- 
pipes, for the apparent absence of all customers. 
The heat was very great ; but the Lady, with a 
basket on her arm, does not appear to feel it, 
and, tm-ning to the left, disappeared in a tortuous 
street, and up a long and dirty staircase to a low 
door, which she pushed open gently, and entered 
what appeared to be a rude workshop. Carvers' 
tools, fi-agments of mother-of-pearl, and of the 
peculiar stone found in the Jordan, were scattered 
about, with strings of beads, half-polished and half- 
strung, and Bethlehem shells rudely sculptured, 
with half-finished sketches of the Nativity and other 
sacred subjects. In a corner of this room, by a 
window, Avas a rough pallet, and on it lay the figure 
of a boy of fifteen or sixteen, evidently in the last 
stage of disease. 



128 



GOOD FRIDAY AT JERUSALEM, 



^ Ah, madre mia !' he exclaimed, as the large 
eyes turned to the door, and glistened with plea- 
sure at the sight of his visitor ; ' how good of you 
to come ! I did not expect you to-day ; and the 
time has seemed so long, so long, and I have 
suffered so much.' 

' My poor boy,' replied the lady, gently taking 
his hand and parting the hair from his brow, which 
seemed contracted by pain, ^ I fear the pain has 
indeed been bad, but it is easier to bear to-day, is 
it not? To-day, when such untold agony was 
borne for us by our dear Lord, — to-day the cup of 
suffering should be less bitter. See,' she added 
cheerfully, ^ I have brought you some oranges and 
some flowers, which the good old lay brother at 
Gethsemane gave me yesterday evening. These 
are his first roses ; and look at the hyacinths, and 
the irises, and the jessamine — that favourite flower 
of mine, which means, as you know, in the Indian 
language, "I love you with all my heart." We 
will arrange them in these two little vases I have 
brought for you, and put them on either side of 
your picture of the Sacred Heart, so that you may 
see them from your bed.' 

So saying, she fetched some water, and began 
arranging the flowers, while the poor boy eagerly 
watched her every movement. When she had 
finished, he said to her softly : 

' Talk to me a little bit ; I want something to 



GOOD FRIDAY AT JERUSALEM. 



129 



remember and to help me to bear the pain when 
you are gone. The last time you spoke of suffering 
being, not punishment, but only a sign of love ; 
and I have thought of it over and over again, and 
tried so hard not to murmur any more.' 

' The flowers must talk to you, dear child,' was 
her reply, as she knelt by the bed, and took his 
thin and wasted hand in hers. ' Do you not think 
it is so strange that Gethsemane should produce 
such lovely flowers ? — that spot where it would 
seem as if the sweat of agony should have cursed 
the very ground on which it fell. Yet is it not 
to teach us that it is out of anguish that comes 
forth sweetness? just as the bay-leaves must be 
crushed and bruised to give forth their pleasant 
smell.' 

She had spoken so far when the door again 
opened, and admitted the venerable figure of an 
old Franciscan monk. An expression of child-like 
purity and singular holiness lit up the old man's 
features, and justified the appellation of ' II vero 
Santo,' given to the ' Ex-Custode dei Santi Luoghi ' 
by all the poor dwellers in Jerusalem. 

' God's blessing be with you, my poor Georgio ! ' 
he said softly ; and then addressing the lady, 
added : ' Ah, my child, I thought I should find 
you here. The Marquise is waiting for you 
below.' 

Pressing the hand of the sick boy, while she 

K 



130 



GOOD FRIDAY AT JERUSALEM. 



knelt to receive the father's blessing, the lady 
passed swiftly down the stairs to her friend. 

They re-enter the church, and passing by the 
shrine of the Holy Sepulchre, take their place in 
the Chapel of the Flagellation. Every Friday and 
Sunday a procession is formed in that chapel, the 
pilgrims bearing lighted tapers stamped with the 
pictures of the Crucifixion and Eesurrection, and, 
singing a processional hymn peculiar to the Holy 
Land, visit each altar erected in commemoration of 
the Passion, reciting the Gospel and prayers appli- 
cable to each station. A portion of the column of 
Flagellation is exposed in the first chapel on the 
left of the altar, where the office begins ; and so 
they move on to the dungeon, and to the place 
where they parted His vestments, down to the sub- 
terranean chapel or crypt where the rugged rocks 
remain as when first excavated, and where the 
sacred Cross was found ; returning again to the 
Chapel of St. Helena above, with its venerable 
pillars and beautiful basket-work capitals, so ad- 
mirably rendered in Roberts's famous drawing; 
then passing to the scene of the clothing in the 
purple robe and terrible crown of thorns, and so 
ascending to the Mount of Calvary, to which por- 
tion of the service a plenary indulgence is attached, 
while at the words ' Hie expiravit ' the pilgrims 
prostrate themselves at the foot of the Cross ; then 
again descending to the ^ stone of unction,' where 



GOOD FRIDAY AT JERUSALEM. 131 

the sacred Body was washed ; thence to the sepul- 
chre where It was laid, on to the place in the 
garden where He appeared to Mary Magdalen after 
the resurrection, and so back again to the Chapel 
of the Blessed Virgin, where the office concludes 
with the touching Litany of Loreto. 

It is a beautiful and solemn service, in which 
even Protestants are seen to join with unwonted 
fervour ; and on this special day it was crowded to 
excess. When it was over, the two friends returned 
to the altar of St. Mary Magdalen, the words and 
tones of the hymn still lingering in their hearts : 

' Jesu ! dulce refngium, 
Spes una Te quaerentium, 
Per Magdalenae meritum 
Peccati solve debitum.' 

To those who are sorrowful and desponding at the 
sense of their own unworthiness and continual 
shortcomings, there is a peculiar attraction and 
help in the thoughts of this saint, apart from all 
the rest. The perfections of the Blessed Virgin 
dazzle us by their very brightness, and make us, 
as it were, despair of following her example. But 
in the Magdalen we have the picture of one who, 
like us, was tempted and sinned and fell, and yet, 
by the mercy of God and the force of the mighty 
love He put into her heart, was forgiven and ac- 
cepted for the sake of that very love He had 
infused. 

Presently the English stranger rose, and, ap- 



132 



GOOD FRIDAY AT JERUSALEM. 



preaching one of the Franciscan monks, begged 
for the benediction of her crucifix and other sacred 
objects, according to the short form in use at the 
shrine of the Holy Sepulchre ; a privilege kindly 
and courteously granted to her. And now the 
shades of evening are darkening the aisles of the 
sacred building, and the pilgrims are gathered in a 
close and serried mass in the Chapel of Cavalry, 
waiting for the ceremony which is to close the 
solemn offices of that awful day. By the kindness 
of the Duke, who had been their companion in the 
Via Crucis, the two ladies were saved from the 
crowd, and conducted by a private staircase fi-om 
the Greek chapel to the right of the altar of 
Calvary. The whole is soon wrapped in profound 
darkness, save where the light is thrown on a 
crucifix the size of life, erected close to the fatal 
spot. You might have fancied yourself alone but 
for the low murmur and swaying to and fro of the 
dense crowd kneeling on the floor of the chapel. 
Presently a Franciscan monk stepped forward, and, 
leaving his brethren prostrate at the foot of the 
altar, mounted on a kind of estrade at the back, and 
proceeded to detach the figure of our Blessed Lord 
from the cross. As each nail was painfully and 
slowly drawn out, he held it up, exclaiming, ^ Ecce, 
dulces clavos ! ' exposing it at the same time to the 
view of the multitude, who, breathless and expect- 
ant, seemed riveted to the s]3ot, with their upturned 



GOOD FRIDAY AT JERUSALEM. 



133 



faces fixed on the symbol represented to them. 
The supernatural and majestic stillness and silence 
of that great mass of human beings was one of the 
most striking features of the whole scene. Pre- 
sently a ladder was brought, and the sacred figure 
lifted down, as in Rubens's famous picture of the 
* Deposition/ into the arms of the monks at the 
foot of the cross. As the last nail was detached, 
and the head fell forward as of a dead body, a low 
deep sob burst from, the very souls of the kneeling 
crowd. Tenderly and reverently the Franciscan 
Fathers wrapped it in fine linen, and placed it in 
the arms of the Patriarch, who kneeling received it, 
and carried it down to the Holy Sepulchre, the 
procession chanting the antiphon, ^ Acceperunt 
Joseph et Nicodemus corpus Jesu ; et ligaverunt 
illud linteis cum aromatibus, sicut mos est Judeeis 
sepelire.' The crowd followed eagerly, yet reve- 
rently, the body to its last resting-place. It is a 
representation which might certainly be painful if 
not conducted throughout with exceeding care. 
But done as it is at Jerusalem, it can but deepen 
in the minds of all beholders the feelings of intense 
reverence, adoration, and awe with Avhich they 
draw near to the scene of Christ's sufferings, and 
enable them more perfectly to realise the mystery 
of that terrible Passion which He bore for our sakes 
in His own Body on the tree."^ 

* F, Faber beautifully writes on tliis subject : — ' It is bard to think 



134 



GOOD FRIDAY AT JERUSALEM. 



And with this touching ceremony the day is 
over ; the crowd of pilgrims disperses, to meet on 
the morrow in the same spot for the more consohng 
offices of Easter-eve. 

of tlie Passion not as an Mstorical fact, or a mystery accomplislied ; 
but as a living, surviving Tiling, a Power, a Presence, a Divine 
Energy ; yet this last is tlie true view of it. Let us make a simple 
picture of tlie Passion for ourselves. We stand upon tlie low top of 
Calvary ; tliere is a preternatural darkness, like tlie luminous gloom of 
a.n eclipse, all round us. Tliere is silence there, only mingled with a 
few sounds ; there were some people stirring in the darkness, yet only 
stirring as if afraid to move. It gradually grows lighter. The white 
hoiLses of a city not far inland at the eastern end of the Mediterranean 
become visible. As the light waxes clearer, sounds increase both in 
number and in loudness. Slowly disclosed against the darkness is 
the Bloodless Body of the Son of God, indescribably venerable in the 
excess of its disfigurements, hanging on the Cross, facing the west, as 
if in prophecy of its grand Christian future. Standing beneath the 
Cross, now wet with blood, is the broken-hearted Mother of God, now 
also Mother of Men. There also is the Virgin Apostle St. John, with 
such impassioned calm upon his woe-worn features as his knowledge 
of the secrets of the Sacred Heart would be certain to imprint on them. 
Among all the sons of men there are few so great, so holy, so pri- 
vileged, as he who by his beauty took captive the Human Heart of his 
Creator. There also is the glorious Magdalen, the brightest trophy 
of God's Love, wdiich men take heart when they look upon, a very 
picture of the uttermost forlornness of human sorrow transfigured by 
the radiance of adoration into more than angelic beauty. O Mag- 
dalen ! thou art there to tell us how the ho|)es of all men may be so 
bold as to take refuge upon Calvary ! This is the Passion, the Passion 
consummated. That mystery on the hill-top is the fountain of all 
supernatural things, flowing both before and behind. Even the inani- 
mate creation had some sort of consciousness that Calvary was the 
centre of the world, when, as old tradition held, the waters of the 
Deluge drifted thither the body of Adam and entombed it in the 
yielding soil . . . Look at Him on His lonely Cross. He hangs there, 
as it were, till the end of the world, but men fall off from the Crucifix, 
like a crowd at a fair, tired of some exciting show : all are busy, in 
the fields or on the roads, or keeping the feast at home ; or clustered 
like Sunday idlers at the city gates. Jesus is left upon His mount 
alone ! ' — Posthumous IN'otes, in 2 vols. 



GOOD FRIDAY AT JERUSALEM. 



135 



But in many a heart the memory of this day will 
never be effaced ; and will, it is humbly hoped, 
bear its life-long fruit in increased devotion to 
the sacred Humanity of their Lord and in greater 
detestation of those sins which could only be can- 
celled by so tremendous an atonement. 



136 



MONDAY IN EASTER WEEK. 



CHAPTER V. 

MONDAY IN EASTER WEEK AT JERUSALEM. 

The early mass was over in the Chapel of the 
Blessed Vn-gin. It is a sanctuary adjoining the 
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, with a window look- 
ing into the Chapel of Calvary, and on this day it 
was unusually bright and beautiful, having been 
decked with fresh white lilies for the Easter Feast. 
Father Aloysius had locked the outer gate, and 
descending the steps, turned to one of the ladies 
waiting below, saying : ' We must make haste, it 
is past five o'clock, and our horses will be ready at 
the convent door. The city gates open before six 
to-day.' So speaking, the monk walked quickly 
up the street, followed by the lady. No English 
pilgrim to Jerusalem will ever hear the name of 
Father Aloysius (called in the convent ' Padre 
Luigi ') without feelings of real gratitude and 
affectionate respect. Leaving his native country 
when very young to be educated at Rome, he 
decided, at eighteen years of age, to embrace the 
monastic habit in the austere Order of St. Francis. 



MONDAY IN EASTER WEEK. 



137 



Soon after making his last vows and on the eve of 
returning, as he hoped, to labour in his native 
country, the Superior of his convent called him one 
day into his room, and showed him a letter he had 
received from the Custode dei Santi Luoghi at 
Jerusalem, lamenting the want of any Father who 
could sj^eak English, and assist the pilgrims of that 
country on their arrival in the Holy Land. Padre 
Luigi instantly saw in this mission the call of God, 
and, relinquishing all thoughts of home and ease, 
volunteered for the Holy Land mission, embracing 
with joy all its sufferings and privations. He has 
been there now for more than six years, and his 
health has greatly suffered ; but his zeal and inde- 
fatigable kindness have made him invaluable for 
the work, and he will not yet claim his well-earned 
rest. 

At the gate of the Casa Nuova horses and donkies 
were waiting, ready saddled for the travellers, while 
the Marquise de stood superintending the load- 
ing of certain articles of church furniture on a 
baggage-mule, with the assistance of a picturesque- 
looking boy, who was to act as their guide on the 
expedition. The little party mounted quickly, 
riding out of the Jaffa Gate, and, leaving the new 
Russian convent and church to the right, descended 
a steep hill on the road to Bethel. The day was 
beautifid, the rising sun was just gilding the tips of 
the hills, and the hill-sides were covered with the 



EMMAUS. 



most lovely spring flowers ; dwarf irises, the delicate 
pink linum, crocuses, cistuses, called by the natives 
the ^ Rose of Sharon,' and a variety of other plants, 
threw a tint of lilac, pink, and yellow, over the red 
and otherwise barren soil. In a month or so, all 
would be arid and burnt up ; but in the early 
spring, the vegetation of the neighbourhood of Jeru- 
salem must delight the heart of a painter. Half 
way the cavalcade came upon the ruins of what 
was once a church and a monastery at the base of 
a narrow gorge leading into a more open valley. 
Here the Marquise stopped : ^ This is said to be the 
exact spot/ she said, ' where our Blessed Lord first 
met His two Disciples and communed with them 
as they walked and were sad." ' The English 
traveller dismounted to gather a beautiful spray of 
maiden-hair fern which grew close to a fountain, 
the only remains of civilisation in that place ; and 
then the little party rode on in silence, musing 
on that ' talk by the way,' till a turn in the road 
brought them suddenly upon Emmaus, a fertile 
and smiling valley, with a little lake on one side, 
and with olive, fig, and apricot trees in full blossom 
on the other. On the right, is the hill on which 
stands the Church of Neby Samwel (now converted 
into a mosque), built by the Crusaders during their 
temporary occupation of the Holy Land, on the 
spot from whence they first beheld the Holy City. 
On the left, is another rising ground, fi:*om whence 



EMMAUS. 



139 



there is a magnificent view of the whole plain from 
EmmaiiJ to the sea : with Lyclda and its ruined 
church, and Eamleh and its hospitable convent, and 
Jaffa, with its flat-roofed houses and bright orange 
groves glistening against the blue Mediterranean. 

In the valley between these two hills stands the 
little hospice with the tiny belfry of the chapel 
which the piety of the Marquise has erected on the 
site of the house of Cleophas, and in the very spot 
' where He was made known unto them in the 
breaking of bread.' The little cavalcade dismounted 
in the courtyard under the shade of a magnificent 
sycamore tree, and were Avarmly greeted by an old 
lay brother. ' All is ready, madame, and the Padre 

is arrived,' he said, turning to the Marquise, ' but 

we want the candles.' ' I have brought them,' was 
the reply, and, taking the things from the baggage- 
mule, the two ladies followed the good frate and 
Padre Luigi into the little chapel. A beautiful 
white marble altar had been imported from Naples, 
under which was a kind of alcove into which the 
Marquise fitted an oil-painting of our Saviour and 
His two Disciples, which had likewise been executed 
in Italy. After arranging the flowers, candles, and 
other ornaments of the altar, the ladies knelt in 
silent prayer ; the priest entered ; the Virgin mass 
was said, and the unbloody sacrifice offered for the 
first time, perhaps, on that spot since ' the eyes of 
the Disciples were opened, and they knew Him ' 



EMMAU8. 



before ^ He vanished out of their sight.' Never did 
the words of the Oradual appear more appropriate 
than at that moment : ^Hcec dies quam fecit Dominus, 
exultemus et Icetemiir in ea and, again, ' Victimce 
PascJiali laudes immolent GhristianiV Tears ran 
down the cheeks of the Marquise as she offered up 
her thanksgivings to Him who had thus crowned 
with success her labour of love. ' How thankful 
and happy you must feel/ exclaimed the English- 
woman to her friend, as half an hour later they 
were breakfasting under the shade of a wide-spread- 
ing fig-tree in the little garden of the hospice. ' Yes, 
my child,' replied the Marquise, ^ I am very thank- 
ful, but much remains to be done, and my means 
are completely exhausted. The hospice is unfinished, 
there is only one room habitable. I hope, when you 
go back to Europe, you will try and interest your 
friends in the work, so that I may have the joy, 
before I die, of seeing it completed.' ^ One reads 
one's Gospel with a new sense,' continued her com- 
panion, ^ on days like these, in the very spots where 
the actual events have happened. When I think 
how many saints have desired to see these things, 
and yet that God has denied them the privilege, I 
cannot be grateful enough for His great mercy to 
me.' ' I want you to see another favourite haunt of 
mine,' replied the Marquise, ^ on our way back to 
Jerusalem, the Convent of the Visitation, where St. 
John the Baptist was born, and the house where 



EMMAUS. 



141 



Elisabeth saluted the Blessed Virgin. I go tlicre 
every summer, when my yearly fever compels me to 
seek a purer air in the ''hill country." So, if you 
have finished your sketch, we will start at once.' 
The Englishwoman hastily put up her drawing 
materials, and in a few moments the little party 
were again in the saddle, and descending the steep 
hill which leads to the village of San Giovanni in 
Montana. The road got worse and worse every 
moment : the rugged and uneven track, like the 
bed of a torrent, where there had been, at any rate, 
here and there, a place for the horses' hoofs, gave 
way to smooth slabs, which, in descending the steep 
ravines, seemed quite impassable for man or beast. 
The Englishwoman dismounted and tried to walk. 
' You Avill find that your horse can manage it better 
than you,' said Padre Luigi, smiling : and so she 
was soon convinced, for she simply could not keep 
her footing ; while her horse, first smelling the 
slippery slabs, put his two hind feet together and 
then slid down the incline, scrambling himself up 
again at the bottom. The intelligence and sure- 
footedness of these Syrian animals are wonderful. 
On first arriving in the Holy Land, even the most 
courageous of pilgrims look with dismay at the 
paths they have to follow, and wonder what can 
have become of the roads and the chariots so often 
alluded to in Holy Scripture. But after a few days, 
they learn to shut their eyes, and trust to their 



142 



CHURCH OF THE VISITATION. 



horses, or rather to the good Providence of God, 
who so wonderfully preserves the lives of His fol- 
lowers. After an hour's painful scrambling, the 
travellers wound up a steep hill, and came suddenly 
on the Convent and Church of the Visitation, built 
on the ruins of the house of Zachary, in a beautiful 
position overlooking the whole valley. Dismount- 
ing and entering the church for a few moments of 
prayer, they passed into the Convent of the Fran- 
ciscan Fathers, Avhere the usurJ hospitable welcome 
awaited them. They then walked quickly along a 
path raised by the side of the stream which ran 
through the village, and under an over-hanging rock 
and by a fountain called ' of the Madonna,' where 
some handsome native girls were washing, to a little 
sanctuary on the road side, the spot, where, by 
human lips, as before by those of an angel, the Im- 
maculate Virgin was again declared to be ' Blessed 
among women.' It is a kind of little chapel hol- 
lowed out of the rock, and, at present, destitute of 
all ornament, save an altar at one end, where mass is 
occasionally performed. The little party knelt in- 
stinctively to repeat together the ^ Magnificat,' and 
then turned into the adjoining convent, which is the 
country orphanage of the ^ Filles de Sion.' They 
have about forty children in this house, whose health 
would not stand the climate of Jerusalem, and they 
teach them all kinds of industrial work. With 
loving greeting, the Superior and her sisters wel- 



SAN GIOVANNI DELL A CROCE. 



143 



corned the pilgrims, bringing them lemonade and 
fresh water from the Madonna's fountain, and show- 
ing them all over their orphanage. ' About an hour's 
ride from this convent,' said the Marquise, ^ is the 
Desert of St. John the Baptist, where the rock is 
still shown from which he is said to have preached 
the baptism of repentance and the remission of 
sins." But we have not time to visit it to-day.' 
Remounting, they rode as quickly as the road 
would allow through a valley where the air was 
scented with aromatic shrubs, to the church of 
San Giovanni della Croce, which has now been 
converted into a Greek monastery for the educa- 
tion of priests. In the church are some curious 
and very ancient frescoes in tolerable preservation ; 
but it is chiefly interesting from the tradition 
that on this site grew the tree from which the 
wood of the Cross was made on which hung the 
Saviour of Mankind. 

The road here improved, and, cantering quickly 
up the last steep ravine, they found themselves once 
more at the gates of the Holy City. 

It was two o'clock. The church of St. Salvador 
was crowded. The beautiful silver altar, with its 
richly carved figures, was uncovered, and on the 
floor, on which Avere squatted a multitude of women 
covered up with their white ' abbas ' (for the Syrian 
women can rarely be taught to kneel) knelt the 
loving sisters of St. Joseph de 1' Apparition, and 



144 



SCHOOL FEAST AT JERUSALEM. 



around them about 120 children, of different ages 
and sizes singing the beautiful Vesper Hymn : 

' Filii et filise, 
Rex celestis, Rex glorise, 
Morte snrrexit hodie.* 

Benediction followed, and then the sisters and 
the Englishwoman, marshalling the children in the 
corridor of the convent church, walked with them 
through the narrow street, and out of the J affa Gate, 
past the poor lepers, begging as usual on the way- 
side, down the steep ravine, and, leaving on the 
left the Jewish Hospital erected by the charity of 
Sir Moses Montefiore, wound up the hill again to a 
beautiful rose garden, close to which two tents w^ere 
pitched. The children, dressed, some in the uni- 
form of the orphanage, some in their picturesque 
native costume, with their dark eyes peeping out 
of their white ' abbas,' were ranged in rows on the 
flowery bank ; and out of the tents were borne 
great baskets of cakes and a kind of ^ pasticcie ' 
much favoured by Syrian children, with oranges 
and other fruit ; while from a neighbouring caffe 
quantities of little cups of coffee were rapidly 
brought and distributed with the cakes to the 
children. This school feast was to have been given 
on St. Joseph's day, in honour of the patron of the 
orphanage ; but the festival falling this year in Lent, 
it had been put off till after Easter. It was a very 
pretty sight, and one rare and strange to the dwellers 



SCHOOL FEAST AT JERUSALEM. 



145 



in Jerusalein. When the eating and drinking were 
over, pictures and rosaries were distributed among 
the chikh'en ; and then their games began and their 
merry voices were heard echoing down the hill- 
sides. A little Nubian monkey, belonging to the 
kind occupants of the tents, contributed immensely 
to the amusements of the girls, stealing their coffee 
and cakes, and running up the cords of the tent 
and then throwing down the empty cups, from pure 
mischief, on the little heads below. 

The Superior, leaving the sisters to share in the 
dances and games of the little ones, went and sat 
down with the stranger under the shade of the tent. 
' You do not look well, dear lady,' said the mother. 
^ I am afraid you have overtired yourself ' I 
shall make you the same answer that the Superior 
of the Filles de Sion did to me yesterday,' replied 
the lady, ' when I was condoling with her on her 
delicate health : II faut toujours porter la croix a 
Jerusalem." But now I am rested, let us go back 
to the children.' ' No ; you must be under obe- 
dience, for once,' said the mother, smiling, ^ and 
stay here quietly till it is time to return home ; the 
children do not want you now.' And so they sat on 
and talked of Rome and of the dear saint-like Mere 
Emilie, who had begun this orphanage at Jerusalem, 
and who now, in the Piazza Margana at Rome, is 
carrying on a similar work of love, and training 
orphan children for Christ. And so the time passed, 

L 



146 



HOLY SEPULCHRE. 



till the setting sun warned them that they must go 
back if they did not want to be shut out of the 
city gates. 

Again the little band was marshalled, and the 
happy children and sisters retraced their steps. At 
the house of the Syrian Bishop, the Englishwoman 
stopped. ^ I shall see you to-night, to say " good 
bye," shall I not?' asked she. ' Surely,' replied the 
mother. So saying, they parted, the sisters and 
children winding up the narrow street which led to 
their convent, while the stranger bent her steps 
alone towards the church of the Holy Sepulchre. 

Once more she knelt in that sacred shrine, and 
by that awful Cross, and by that open Grave. Much 
of her time in Jerusalem had been spent within those 
walls. There she had passed the vigil of Easter 
Day, watching the whole night through ; and in 
those twelve hours of silent prayer she felt she had 
learned more than in all her life besides. And 
now she was to leave those spots, so hallowed and 
so endeared to her, perhaps for ever, and, in spite 
of her efforts at self-restraint, tears fell thick on 
the floor as she knelt. ^ You will come back to us 
some day, my child ; I feel sure of it,' said Padre 
Luigi, who, unperceived, had come close to her, and 
saw her face. * See, I have brought you what you 
asked for; it will last you a long time.' The lady 
thanked him with a grateful smile, and turned with 
sorrowful reluctance from the Holy Places. 



CAS A NUOVA AT JERUSALEM. 



H7 



With a strong eftbrt, she rejoined a merry Eng- 
lish party outside the gates, and prepared to do 
the honours of tlie evening, at a dinner to be 
given to those who had so kindly and courteously 
smoothed for her all the difficulties of her journey. 

And now the evening was over. The last direc- 
tions for the journey on the morrow had been 
given, and once more the faithfid ' Cawass,' with 
his solemn mien and silver stick, marshalled the 
traveller from the hotel up the steep streets to her 
convent home. There an unexpected greeting 
aAvaited her. Every one in the convent had brought 
her some little offering — from the Custode dei 
Santi Luoghi, who presented her with a beautiful 
cross carved out of the wood of the olive trees in 
the Garden of Gethsemane, down to the humblest 
frate, who presented her with the olive berries he 
had himself dried and strung — shells of Bethlehem , 
rosaries, relics, fi-agments of the Holy Places, dried 
flowers fi^om sacred spots, all precious remem- 
brances, both for their ov/n sakes and for those of 
the givers, — covered the little table in her cell. She 
accepted each and all with an overflowing heart, 
and, kneeling, received the parting blessing of the 
Custode, together with her cross and certificate as 
pilgiim, and a permission, almost equally valued, 
that Padre L. should accompany the travellers on 
their Syrian journey. And now the sisters of St. 
Joseph appeared, and insisted on clearing the room, 

L 2 



148 



HOLY CITY. 



that the lady might be left to the repose she so 
much needed ; and so, with the echo of their kind 
and loving words still ringing in her ears, she slept 
for the last time in her little convent bed in the 
Holy City. 



BETHLEHEM. 



149 



CHAPTER VI. 

BETHLEHEM. 

A LONG and straggling cavalcade was winding up the 
steep rocky path which leads from the Dead Sea to 
the Convent of Mar Saba. Its members had tented 
the night before in the fertile plains near Jericho 
close to Elisha's fountain. In the early morning 
they had drunk and bathed in the waters of Jordan, 
and pictured to themselves that miraculous passage 
of the host of Israel, and, still more vividly, that 
awful and mysterious Baptism, when the pure and 
holy One, who inhabiteth eternity, conformed Him- 
self in His human nature to the outward rite, that 
in all things He might be to us an example and 
guide. They had seen in the distance the ruins of 
Bethabara, where St. John the Baptist commenced 
his preaching ; the solitude which witnessed the 
terrible temptations of St. Jerome ; and the desert 
where St. Mary of Egypt expiated by a life of 
penance the sins of her youth. And now the guides 
pointed out Mount Abarim, from whence Moses 
contemplated the Promised Land, and Mount 
Nebo, Avhere he died. Rapidly they had passed by 



THE DEAD SEA, 



the desolate shores of that sea which, lying like a 
calm Swiss lake, with its purple-tinted mountains, 
in its quiet loveliness, yet breathes nothing but 
bitterness and desolation to those who venture in 
or near its waters."^ A beautiful large yellow 
flower with a dark eye was growing close to the 
water's edge, and one of the ladies stooped to pick 
it ; but it was almost dashed from her hand by 
the Bedouin guide, with the exclamation ' Poison ' 
in Arabic ; so that nothing, animal or vege- 
table, fit for food or human use, seems to be found 
near that terrible Dead Sea, on which the curse of 
centuries rests ! And now the cavalcade is toiling 
on, amid magnificent scenery, up the steep ascent, 
the burning sun making the way appear longer, 

* Father Faber's description of tlie Dead Sea exceeds in beauty as 
in fidelity any otber wMcli ever was written. It is as follows : — ' The 
scene now — tlie intense blue — the violet haze — tlie lifeless waters with 
no life but the bitterness of God's anger in them — sparkling, spiked 
crystals of salt — yellow-foliaged canes as if it were always autumn 
there — salt-frosted plants and leafless ragged shrubs of thorny acacia 
■ — the ragged limestone clefts upon the west — and on the east, the red 
mountains of Moab, as if they were on fire in the summer sunset — 
sunk in the hollow-caverned trough, that eye of shining water looks up 
through its violet haze to heaven ; and the sun burnishes it — and the 
moon silvers it — and the stars shine deep down into it — and the winds 
ripple it — and the rain patters upon it in beaded drops — and the scene 
itself is a silent worship of the magnificent anger of our Heavenly 
Father. There is no horror in the place, only an inward gloom of 
heart in spite of the outward radiance of the landscape. It is as if 
God had painted a picture of the Universal Doom, and then had drawn 
this weary brightness of silent desolation like a curtain over the 
horrors of the pointing. ! terrible beauty ! ! terrible sunshine 
of that blue Dead Sea ! God's majesty never cows us more than when 
it looks so imperturbable ! ' (PostMimous Notes.) 



THJt] ROAD TO MAR SABA. 



and a parching thirst compelling the travellers to 
an unwary emptying of their 'zemzymiahs' (or 
leather water-bottles) before half the day is over. 
They have a wild and picturesque escort of fifty 
men, some mounted and some on foot, all in the 
Bedouin dress — the wide striped brown and white 
burnous and black kaffir — with long hair and naked 
feet and legs. They are armed with long old- 
fashioned guns bound with brass and inlaid with 
mother-of-pearl, and with sundry other weapons 
in their girdles. Not a tree or a bush appears to 
give a particle of shade to the sunburnt pilgrims, 
and the younger of the party are beginning to feel 
faint and dispirited, when a turn of the road brings 
them to a great projecting rock, and they see that, 
by scrambling down a ravine in the hollow below, 
they shall find a resting-place during the burning 
heat of noon-day. In a few moments they had 
dismounted, and stretched themselves on their car- 
pets in the grateful shade. ' The shadow of a great 
rock in a weary land.' Who has not felt, in the 
East, the wonderfiil beauty and reality of the similes 
used in Holy Scripture ? Were any one seeking 
for a guide-book of Syria, of its scenery, its man- 
ners, its customs, they could find no more accurate 
one than that which God has placed in the hands 
of all men by the mouth of His prophets. There 
still are the w^omen watering the cattle by the way- 
side well, and kneading the cakes on the hearth, 



152 



THE ROAD TO MAR SABA. 



and preparing the fatted kid for the traveller by 
the open tent-door. There, again, is the grass 
growing upon the house-tops, ' which withereth 
before it be plucked up.' Nothing is changed in 
this wonderful land, except where the blighting 
foot of the Turk has come, and left the usual 
desolation behind. 

But the breathing-time allowed to our travellers 
was fated to be of short duration. The scouts on 
the hills around gave notice of the vicinity of a 
hostile tribe of Bedouins, who had come from ' the 
other side Jordan,' intent on plunder. Only last 
year, two English ladies and a Franciscan father, 
who had unwittingly strayed away from their escort, 
were captured and carried off by some of this tribe. 
Of the fate of the ladies nothing is known. The 
Franciscan contrived to write his history on a 
stone, and, giving it to a Bedouin going to Jeru- 
salem, persuaded him to take it to the convent, 
assuring him that it was a stone of value, on the 
receipt of which a handsome reward would be 
given by the custode. The Bedouin duly delivered 
the stone, and so the place of the poor father's 
captivity was discovered ; and, on a given day, 
when he had been sent in the capacity of a slave 
to tend the flocks on this side Jordan, he was 
rescued by a party sent from Jerusalem for the 
purpose. With this warning before them, our tra- 
vellers lost not a moment in regaining their saddles, 



THE ROAD TO MAR SABA. 



and moved ra[)i(lly onwards. One of their party 
liad left something behind, and was beginning to 
retrace his steps, when, on turning round the corner 
of the rock they had left only a few moments before, 
he discovered that every shrub and stone had con- 
cealed a hostile Bedouin, who had sprung up, like 
Koderick Dhu's men, the moment the caravan had 
disappeared, and were now evidently planning a 
pursuit. Quickening their pace, therefore, the tra- 
vellers arrived at a rising ground, where their guides 
advised a halt, while they reconnoitred the force 
and dispositions of the enemy below. Some Bedouin 
boys Avere tending a flock of goats on this mound ; 
but they surlily and flatly refused to allow any of 
the party to purchase their milk. From this 
eminence a glorious panorama was obtained of the 
road they had already traversed, with the Dead 
Sea, and the wilderness of St. John, and the plains 
of Jericho, and the hills of Moab ; but in a square, 
on one side of the plain, were the long low black 
camel's hair tents of the hostile Bedouins — a sight 
which did not tend to reassure our travellers. 
Presently they saw a movement in the hostile 
camp. A body of men galloped forward to meet 
the escort, and a few shots were fired ; but only 
one or two men Avere wounded ; and after half an 
hour's parley, the matter (which really related less 
to the travellers than to a ' raid ' of cattle the 
previous day by the tribe of whom their escort was 



154 



CONVENT OF MAR SABA. 



composed) was amicably arranged, and the caval- 
cade resumed its march. Their sufferings from 
thirst, however, were on the increase. Long ago 
they had been compelled to drink the Jordan 
water, which, encased in the flat tin pilgrim's 
bottles, they had meant so carefully to preserve for 
their return home ; and now they came upon a 
dirty and half-dried pool, to which they hastened as 
to a refreshing well, and struggled with the horses 
and mules for a share in the muddy and brackish 
water. Another hour's ride brought them to Mar 
Saba, that beautiful convent founded by St. Saba, 
whose name it bears, perched on the summit of the 
gorge, with a deep ravine on one side, and endless 
caverns in the rocks on the other, where the 
Anchorites, in the early days of the Church, lived 
the lives of angels more than of men. At one 
time it is said that there were more than 11,000 
monks congregated in this spot, under the direction 
of one Superior. Here St. Jerome came, before he 
settled at Bethlehem, and here St. John Damascene 
ended his life of penance and of prayer. The 
Saracens in the twelfth century massacred all the 
religious they could find : but the convent was re- 
built on the same beautiful spot, and is now occu- 
pied by the Greeks. Their rule is a very austere 
one, and on no pretext will they admit women 
within their walls ; so that our travellers tented 
on a small level sward just outside the convent- 



CONVENT OF 31AR SABA. 



155 



gates, the monks supplying tlicm with fresh water 
and excellent bread. One of the party, whose sex 
offered no obstacle to a closer inspection of the 
convent, describes it as follows : — 

' It is not a single building, but rather a vast 
collection of chambers and galleries, built on the 
almost precipitous sides of a rocky ravine, which 
here overhangs the torrent bed of the river Kedron. 
The situation is most picturesque ; but it is a won- 
derful feat of architectural skill to have piled up 
such huge masses of masonry, which seem rather 
to cleave to the bare rock than to be supported 
from below. Although the upper front, at which 
we entered, seems to be the only place where nature 
has not provided sufficient fortification, a massive 
wall surrounds the whole of the convent. Notwith- 
standing, too, all the strength, both natural and 
artificial, of the position. Mar Saba has been several 
times, during its long history of nearly 1,400 years, 
sacked by Persian, Saracenic, and other Moslem 
invaders ; but it is sufficiently strong to repel the 
attacks of marauding Bedouins, which fi^om time 
to time occur. "We were met at the entrance by 
one of the monks, who conducted us by a series 
of continually descending staircases and corridors, 
through towers, and over the roofs of halls and 
chapels, till Ave reached the lower part of the con- 
vent, which stands immediately over the ravine. 
Here we were shown the tomb of St. Saba, which 



156 



CONVENT OF MAE SABA. 



is a small |)lain chapel ; but the monks told us 
that the body of the saint had been removed by the 
Crusaders to Venice. Within a few yards of this 
chapel is the principal church of the convent, which, 
though of no very great size, is a handsome building, 
and most richly decorated. The walls are covered 
with ancient pictures, many of them adorned with 
silver and precious stones. There are also a con- 
siderable number of massive silver candelabra, some 
of which were pointed out to us as a gift from 
Eussia. With some difficulty, and after consider- 
able hesitation on the part of the monks, we ob- 
tained access to the library, a little room off the 
church. It is very seldom shown to strangers, and 
though Mr. Curzon visited it some twenty-five years 
ago, few Franks have been allowed to enter it 
since. Three of the manuscripts are said, and I 
believe truly, to be fully 1,200 years old. They are 
the Gospels in Greek, the works of St. Chrysostom, 
and a copy of the sixteen Prophets in Greek. The 
last is said to have been written as far back as the 
middle of the sixth century of the Christian era, 
and is one of the most valuable manuscripts in the 
world. It has in it an inscription in Greek signi- 
fying most valuable book," evidently written by 
some European traveller, perhaps Mr. Curzon. We 
were then led to the Guest Chamber, a large well- 
furnished room, where we were hospitably received 
by the Superior. We were served with no food. 



CONVENT OF MAR SABA. 



^57 



but with a variety of drinks — water, coffee, wine, 
lemonade, &c., and, strange to say, aqita vitm, 
for, tliougli the monks never eat flesh, they admit 
spirits into the convent. The monks of Mar Saba 
are sixty-two in number, and seem, for the most 
part, to be taken from the lower class. We certainly 
found them, though hospitable in their own way, 
very inferior in general learning, intelligence, and 
courtesy, to the Latin monks of Palestine, such as 
the Franciscans at Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and other 
places. Several of the monks of the convent em- 
ploy themselves in carving crosses, spoons, and 
sticks out of wood from the Jordan and orange 
wood, which they sell to travellers. All the money 
thus earned goes to the common fund of the con- 
vent ; but abuses have crept in from this habit, 
and the rule of holy poverty and community of 
goods was flagrantly broken through the other day 
by one of the religious, who, dying suddenly, sixty 
two gold pieces were found concealed in his cell ! 
Let us hope, however, that this instance was an ex- 
ception to the general behaviour of the Order, whose 
life appears one of great privation and austerity.' 

The following morning the whole party pro- 
ceeded down a steep descent into a smiling valley, 
with fruit-trees in full blossom, which contrasted 
wonderfully with the sombre though magnificent 
scenery through which they had passed in coming 
from the Dead Sea to Mar Saba. 



158 



BETHLEHEM. 



Jerusalem is, and ever must be, steeped with 
melancholy in its aspect, in its entourage, in its 
interior, in all its associations. But Bethlehem, to 
which the travellers were now rapidly approaching, 
is, of all the towns of Syria, the gayest and the 
brightest. Here alone are seen beautiful women 
with unveiled and uncovered faces, for no Turk 
resides in Bethlehem. Ibrahim Pasha, in a freak 
of tyrannical fury, turned every Mahometan out of 
the city, and rased their houses to the ground. It 
is therefore a purely Christian population, and a 
marked difference is instantly perceptible. Weary 
and exhausted with the heat, the party found them- 
selves at last at the gateway of the Franciscan 
convent, which is on a kind of eminence over- 
looking the rest of the town. One must have been 
in the East to realise the joy and thankfulness 
with which those crossed and stigmated hands are 
welcomed by the traveller. On whatever door or 
gateway these are afHxed (together with the five 
crosses which are their additional badge in the 
Holy Land) there are not only refreshment and 
rest, but kindness and thoughtfulness and Christian 
courtesy of the highest order, extended alike to 
Catholics and Protestants ; a charity asking for no 
return save such as the heart of the pilgrim may 
dispose him to give towards the support of those 
more needy than himself, and a gentle considera- 
tion for both the bodily and spiritual wants of their 



BETHLEHEM. 



^59 



guests, whieli few but the children of St. Francis 
could show. In this instance the monks vied 
with each other in welcoming the weary pilgrims, 
and affording them the refreshment and rest they 
so sorely needed. Deliciously cool lemonade and 
Turkish coffee preceded the more substantial even- 
ing meal ; while the tempting white beds in the 
pilgrims' dormitory, each surmounted Avith its 
simple pilgrim's wooden cross, invited the repose 
which the long day's fatigue had earned. 

It was three o'clock in the morning following 
their arrival when one of the party, leaving the 
others to their rest, stole softly down the stairs and 
through the long corridor to a low door, which 
she pushed open, and found herself in the Greek 
basilica built originally by the Empress Helena. 
Passing swiftly with her little lamp through its 
aisles, she descended by a flight of steps to a chapel 
where a succession of beautiful hanging lamps 
threw a vivid light on a bright brass star sunk in 
the floor. The lady knew the way well ; she had 
already been there the preceding evening with 
Padre Luigi ; but she felt an irresistible desire to 
revisit those sacred spots alone, and to strive to 
realise better that wonderful and joyful Mystery. 
It was revealed to Sister Margaret of the Blessed 
Sacrament that everything which happened on 
that wonderful night eighteen huncbed years ago 
in the cave of Bethlehem took place in silence and 



i6o 



BETHLEHEM. 



without a word ; and so she felt that in silence 
alone could she adore and venerate that Mother 
and that Son. 

On the left is the chapel where the star which 
had ^ gone before ' the Wise Men in the East ' came 
and stood over the place where the Child was.' 
On the right is the Altar of the Adoration of the 
Magi ; and in a recess, down two or three steps 
more, is the Altar of the Manger — the very site of 
the sacra culla where the Holy Babe was laid. To 
the right of this altar is a little passage and a door 
leading first to the Altar of the Holy Innocents — 
those first-fi-uits of His Nativity — and then to the 
cave where St. Jerome lived and wrote and died. 
A little farther on is the cell of St. Paula, his 
fellow-worker and the first foundress of the hospice 
for pilgrims to this shrine. 

If in Jerusalem the heart of the pilgrim is awed 
and arrested by the horrors of Calvary, and scarcely 
soothed by the thoughts of the repose of the Holy 
Sepulchre, at Bethlehem he can feel nothing but 
joy and thankfulness and love and amazement at 
the love which could clothe itself in such humility. 
Yet the sting of the Passion is even here. The 
night is very cold, yet it is March now ; and three 
months before, the bitter wind and damp chill of 
the cave must have been far less endurable. It 
w^as December when the infant Jesus was laid there, 
in the rough and prickly straw ; to teach us, as St. 



BETHLEHEM, 



161 



Peter Damian says, the mortification of our senses. 
He came fi*om heaven to teach us the love of suffer- 
ing ; He hiid down from His birth the kw of 
martyrdom in daily life — that law which all His 
saints liave followed until now. 

Thoughts like these thronged in the heart of the 
Englishwoman as she knelt, and felt that the ' little 
Babe of Bethlehem ' can be nowhere understood as 
on the very spot where the mystery was wrought. 
Year after year she had prepared the creche which 
was to picture the scene to the hearts of her chil- 
dren. She had knelt by the shrine in the beautiful 
church of Sta. Maria Maggiore, and, by papal per- 
mission, beheld the sacred cradle exposed to the 
veneration of the faithful ; but all ideas, all repre- 
sentations fade before the spot itself, — that spot, 
untouched and unchanged after the lapse of cen- 
turies — that spot which witnessed the mystery con- 
cealed from the evil one — that mystery of love — 
that miracle of humility. 

And now other steps are heard descending those 
stairs. A man venerable, both in age and appear- 
ance, with the insignia of a bishop, followed by two 
black attendants and a Franciscan monk, is come 
to say the four-o'clock mass at the Altar of the 
Manger. For two months had he travelled painfully 
and on foot through his distant diocese in the heart 
of the continent of Africa, to reach the seaport 
which would enable him to embark for the Holy 

M 



l62 



ALTAR OF THE MANGER. 



Land and perform this arduous pilgrimage. And 
now for the first time he offers the Holy Sacrifice 
in that sacred shrine ; and at the Gloria in ex- 
celsis tears rain down his cheeks, and almost stop 
his utterance. It needed but this to complete the 
touching picture which had been forming itself in 
the heart of the English lady. 

A few days before, while travelling, they had 
stopped with other pilgrims at a wayside kahn, 
and on going in for a few moments, saw a peasant 
mother take her child and place it in a manger 
where some oxen were feeding ; and this was iden- 
tical with the scene of the Nativity and the act of 
the Blessed Virgin on that eventful night. All 
came back to her mind then ; and with the re- 
collection of this simple action was mingled the 
thought of the Magi, one of whom appeared as if 
before her in the person of the black Abyssinian 
acolyte, whom the venerable Bishop of Central 
Africa had brought in his train. ' And so God 
came as a little child to cast the fire of His love 
into our hearts,' says St. Alphonsus de Liguori in 
his beautiful Meditation on the Nativity — ' Ignis, 
qui semper ardes, accende me ! ' 

That Mass is over, and others follow, and the 
little chapel is thronged with worshippers. But the 
Englishwoman heeds them not : kneeling in an 
angle of the chapel, with the Epistles of St. Jerome 
in her hand, she is reading that portion so affect- 



BEIT-JALA. 



163 



iiigly descripti ve of tlic scene before her — in tluit 
very ' little grot of lietlilelicm in which,' he writes, 
* God speaks familiarly and converses with His chil- 
dren.' She feels as if she could never leave this 
spot, or cease to remember the thoughts it has called 
forth. But the morning wore on : and Padre Luigi 
summoned lier to visit another sanctuary, less in- 
teresting than the one she was leaving, yet very 
useful in filling up the last touches of the day's 
meditation. It was the field where ' the shepherds 
kept Avatch over their flocks by night,' a simple 
field about a quarter of an hour's walk from the 
convent-gates, and in that field a little chapel has 
been built, to which you descend by a flight of 
steps. Faber says, very beautifully, that ' the shep- 
herds represent the place Avhich simplicity occupies 
in the kingdom of Christ ; for next to that of Mary 
and Joseph theirs was the first external service 
offered to the new-born Babe of Bethlehem.' 

On returning to the convent the travellers once 
more mounted, and, passing through the rugged 
streets, rode to Beit-Jala, the residence and semi- 
nary of the patriarch, Monsignor Yalerga ; a build- 
ing beautifully situated in the midst of olive-groves 
and vineyards, and reminding them more of Italy 
than anything they had yet seen in Palestine. 
After seeing both tlie convent and the students, 
and passing by a picturesque fountain — where the 
Bethlehem Avomen, in their bright-blue petticoats 



164 



SOLOMON'S POOLS. 



and scarlet bodices and snowy-white head-dresses, 
courteously offered cups of water to the travellers 
— they rode on by a rough and toilsome path to 
another point of pilgrimage, — the fountain where 
Philip baptized the Eunuch. There is still water 
in it, and a kind of rude attempt has been made 
to enclose the upper portion with a circular wall. 
Returning, they took the Jerusalem road, which 
brought them back to Bethlehem, by Rachel's Tomb 
— that place so dear to all Jewish hearts. It is 
a modern well, with a dome ; but the site is un- 
questioned and preserved by unbroken tradition. 
From thence, passing again by the convent-gates, 
the party wound down a steep hill, and arrived 
after a ride of about two miles at Solomon's Pools. 
They are three great reservoirs, built of squared 
stones, and supply Bethlehem with water now, 
as they formerly did Jerusalem. A great square 
Turkish castle stands at the head of the Upper 
Pool, inhabited by a few irregular troops, and wild 
ducks of various kinds were disporting themselves 
on the surface of the water. From thence they 
proceeded by a winding glen to visit Solomon's 
Gardens, at Urtas ; and after scrambling down a 
rough iri^gular road, which brought them literally 
on the roofs of the houses in the village, came 
suddenly on a spot which appeared all pink and 
lilac from the mass of peach-blossom and other 
flowering fruit-trees in this happy valley. A little 



GARDENS AT URTAS, 



stream irrigates the whole line of gardens ; and the 
luxuriance of the flowers, fruits, and vegetables 
proves Avliat might be done with this soil if only a 
little pains were taken in its cultivation. One of 
the owners of the gardens brought them some de- 
licious honey, with fresh salad and fruits, which our 
travellers eat thankfully, sitting in one of the lovely 
peach-orchards by the side of the rushing stream. 

A well-known English lady and authoress has 
purchased a portion of this garden ground with the 
idea eventually, it is said, of building upon it and 
returning in her old age to rest in Holy Land. 
May her desire be realised ! * 

And now the evening shadows warn them to 
return to their convent home, for the inhabitants of 
Urtas have not a good reputation after nightfall. 
Riding quickly, they arrived in time to walk a little 
about the streets of Bethlehem and visit some of 
the workshops, where the shells and Crosses of 
mother-of-pearl are manufactured in such quan- 
tities for the pilgrims, and sold in the outer court 
of St. Helena's Basilica, as well as in Jerusalem. 
And then they wished good-bye to the little town 
with its irregular streets and quaint houses and 
bright and genial population ; and afterwards, a 
still more sorrowful farewell to the sacred shrine 

* \Vlnle tliis was passing through the press, the melancholy tidings 
reached the writer of her having found her rest indeed ! but not at 
Urtas. 



i66 



BETHLEHEM, 



and its kind and hospitable Franciscan guardians. 
The good old Superior, whose labours were so soon 
to end on earth, good-naturedly gave to one of the 
party the Bethlehem ' Pilgrim's Cross/ the same in 
material and design as those given to such of the 
visitors to Jerusalem as had their feet washed by 
the patriarch on Holy Thursday ; and with this 
remembrance and a last mass at the altar of the 
manger, sunny little Bethlehem was exchanged for 
the rough road leading to the gloomy and fanatical 
city of Hebron. 



HEBRON. 



167 



CHAPTER VII. 

HEBRON. 

The following morning our travellers had made 
their arrangements to start at daybreak for Hebron. 
But there was a difficulty first about horses, and 
then about saddles, so that it was six o'clock before 
they found themselves riding out of the convent 
gates, and once more down the steep and rugged 
road which led to Solomon's Pool. From thence 
the ground ascends continually till you come to 
Tekoa, the birthplace of the prophet Amos, close 
to which are some rather extensive ruins said to be 
those of ' The House of Abraham,' and afterwards 
of a Christian basilica. On the hill close by, called 
* Gebel el Batrak,' the patriarch Abraham is sup- 
posed to have stood Avhen he received the promise 
as to his seed. 

Here, the rude remains of the old Roman road 
winding up and down the bare brown hills, becomes 
exchanged for a better track, with occasional can- 
tering gTOund, of Avhich the younger portion of 
the party did not fail to profit. The country they 
were traversing gave evidence of careful cultivation 



i68 



HEBRON. 



at some former time ; and vines trailed over every 
low wall, while carouba and olive-trees lined the 
mountain sides, and terebinth or evergreen oak 
here and there gave a grateful shade. This was 
the far-famed Valley of Eshcol, and on turning 
round the sharp corner of a hill, Hebron burst upon 
them, with its domed white stone houses perched 
on a rising ground, and the great wall and minaret 
of the ' Haram ' towering above the whole. This 
then was Hebron ; the resting-place of Abraham 
and all the Patriarchs ; the * royal city ' — associated 
with the earliest and most sacred traditions of the 
Chosen People. It is the most ancient city in 
Palestine, rivalling Damascus in point of interest 
as in antiquity. ' On these hill-sides,' writes Mr. 
Tristram, ^ and in the valleys below, Abraham 
walked and communed with God ; and the dust of 
the Patriarchs moulders in the cave beneath those 
huge walls.' Later, it became a Levitical city, and 
here again David was anointed king over the House 
of Judah. 

Our travellers tented under the well-known tree 
called 'Abraham's Oak;' the pilgrim's knife has 
done its best to destroy it and spoil its beauty. 
Yet enough remains to give a pleasant shade. The 
stem measures over twenty-two feet, and the foliage 
is thick and luxuriant. Here Abraham sat at 
his tent door in the heat of the day when he 



ABRAHAM'S OAK, 



169 



received tlie angels' \'isit ; and here Sarah died 
and was buried in the famous Cave of Machpclah, 
now so jeak^usly guarded from all but Moslem 
eyes. 

The travellers, weary with their long ride, laid 
down quietly on their carpets outside the tent in 
the shade, reading Dean Stanley's admirable de- 
scription of the interior of the mosque, which by a 
rare privilege he had been allowed to enter ; and 
reserved their visit to the town for the following 
day. But towards sunset they took a walk through 
a succession of terraces carefully cultivated, and at 
that moment full of vegetables and fruit-trees in 
foil bloom, to the ^ Pool of David,' a square tank at 
the bottom of the valley full of rain-water, which 
irrigates all the neighbouring gardens in summer 
time. 

The next morning they started early for the town, 
crossing a picturesque bridge, and finding themselves 
passing through a gateway into a long, narrow, 
ill-paved street, leading into a bazaar, with a surly 
and hostile-looking population silently watching 
them as they proceeded in single file towards the 
Haram. Here they dismounted and passed up the 
first part of the staircase leading to the outer court 
of the mosque, when they were somewhat rudely 
turned back, and had to content themselves with 
making a circuit of the outside. The Crusaders, in 



THE HARAM, 



the twelfth century, built a basilica over the cave ; 
but that was converted into a mosque, which it re- 
mains to this day. The blank wall which encloses it is 
200 feet long by 115 wide, and 50 feet high, without 
a single window or loophole. The massive stones 
of the exterior are like those of the Jews' wailing 
place at Jerusalem, only still larger ; and leave on 
the mind the same impression of intense antiquity, 
simplicity, and grandeur. Passing into a courtyard 
above the mosque, with a picturesque fountain in 
the centre, some of the party tried to peep into the 
enclosure below ; but even the advantageous posi- 
tion of being on a hill-side above the sacred 
building, does not enable one to gratify one's 
curiosity. By the kindness of Lord Bute, however, 
the following graphic account of his entrance into 
the mosque is here inserted, which will be as deeply 
interesting as the one previously published by Dean 
Stanley : — 

' Raslieya, Sept. 16, 1866. 

' This day fortnight I, with a Mr. G. and a Dr. H., 
entered the Mosque at Hebron. As we made a 
very careful and leisurely visit, and made a plan on 
the spot, and copied an inscription never before 
read ... I stimulate myself on this exceedingly hot 
day to prepare an account of it for you. . . . When 
at Constantinople we got a firman from the Sultan, 
and at Jerusalem put it into the hands of the pasha. 



THE MOSQUE AT HEBRON. 



That dignitary told us that, for safety, he would try 
to make our visit coincide with an expedition which 
he himself was obliged to make to Hebron about 
that time. We first intended to visit the Mosque 
on the morning of Friday, August 31, but Avere 
warned that that day (which is the Muslim Sabbath) 
would not be safe. Saturday also was reckoned 
uncertain, and so our visit fell on the Sunday. 
We arrived on Saturday at Hebron and pitched 
our tents among the olives near the Quarantine 
above the cemetery, being nearly the spot whence 
the view is taken in Smith's Dictionary. The 
pasha arrived during the night with some 100 
horsemen, and took up his abode in the Quarantine. 
Next morning, about 6.30, came the mayor of the 
town and the head of the police, with whom we 
sat some time drinking coffee and smoking. They 
were quite civil, and assured us there would be 
no disturbance. About 7 we walked with them 
to the town, accompanied by about twenty irre- 
gular soldiers, apparently simple roughs. My 
servants asked to come, but I refused. As we 
passed one or two streets leading to the Ha- 
ram hardly any one appeared. Of those that 
did, several saluted the authorities. We saw one 
or two knots of little boys (who always fol- 
low Christians, cursing and reviling them in the 
streets of this tow^n), but our people drove them 
away. 



1/2 



MOSQUE OF HEBRON. 



' Now. that you may understand, here is our 
plan of the Mosque, which I do assure you is quite 
faithful, and made on the spot. 



^|,'''"'" 28! Steps 



16 



\ 



Ijje.stcps 




1. Stone thirty spans long. 2. Young palms. 3, Vestibule. 
4. Tomb of Abraham. 5. Tomb of Sarah. 6. Hole. 7. Tomb 
of Isaac. 8. Tomb of Eebecca. 9. Siddeh. 10. Greek In- 
scription. 11. Mehrab. 12. Mimbar. 13. Door of Cave. 
14. Tomb of Jacob. 15. Tomb of Leah. 16. Corridor. 17. 
Fountain. 18. Black Stone, where a man read the Kuran. 

* We first ascended six steps and then took off 
our shoes. Then we entered on the ascent of twenty- 
eight broad low steps of polished stone, with the 



3I0SQUE OF HEBRON. 



173 



Titanic Jewish wall 011 our left and sonic houses 
on our rio-ht. At the foot of them I was introduced 
to the sheykli. He was an excessively pleasing 
person, about tliirty-five years of age, and had that 
refined and pious look which so often charms one 
in educated and devout Muslims, amounting almost 
to asceticism. His manner was grave to sadness, 
but extremely well-bred. We passed a turning to 
the left, and felt we had entered the mysterious pre- 
cincts. Here was a part of the way arched over, and 
in the Hebrew wall some vast stones. Passing up 
eleven broad steps, we reached a wall and gateway 
Avith inscriptions from the Kuran. The sheykh 
evaded translating them, and I was told they pro- 
bably contained something adverse to Christianity. 
Passing this gate, we entered a long empty matted 
corridor ; immediately on the left was a large iron 
door, closed. This door was opened from within, 
after some time and with difficulty. We entered, 
and crossed a small vestibule, white and neatly 
matted, and entered, to the right, the great colon- 
nade, erst the porch of the church. We here saw 
the court, which, as well as the colonnade, is paved 
with polished stone. 

' In the north-east corner are some young palms, 
whose vivid green relieves the eye charmingly. 
The north side appeared to be buildings, the east 
and west blank w^alls ; south was the colonnade. 
This colonnade has an arched groined roof, white- 



174 



MOSQUE OF HEBRON, 



washed and painted with dark red and bhie orna- 
ments, much defaced. We advanced a Httle and 
entered a small matted dingy dark vestibule, panelled 
with inlaid marbles in bold patterns, and filled with 
inscriptions from the Kuran, and other pious texts 
not only in the decorations but scribbled over the 
walls by visitors. The whole building teems with 
these little memorials. They are all apparently 
after this manner : — 

" There is no deity except God." 

^' God — there is no deity save Him alone — He is the Living, 
the Self-Existent." 

" Our God — there is no deity but He — and our Lord Moham- 
med — there is no Prophet but he," 

God is the High, the Great — He made all things in six days 
and to Him is the return of all." 

" Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds," &c. &c., ad hifiiiitum, 

^ To the right and left were doors closed with an- 



cient massive gates of silver bars, thus 




. That on 



the right (west) contains the cenotaph of Abraham, 
that on the left, of Sarah. The doors were not opened, 
but we looked through the bars. On the thresholds 
were stands for lamps. The small chambers are 
very obscure ; within are lofty cenotaphs, apparently 
covered with dark green silk, worked with gold, 
about 10 feet long by 7 high, a little raised to the 
south. From the ceiling hang canopies or sails of silk, 
which rest on the top. On the side of Abraham's 
cenotaph was a piece of black, with this inscription, 
or the like in gold letters : — 



MOSQUE OF HEBRON. 



175 



" This is the place of our Lord Abraham, the Friend of God ;" 

and on Sarah's — 

" This is the place of Sarah, the wife of Abraham, the Friend 
of God." 

' Over the door of this vestibule, which looks into 
the court, is a beautifiil window (sadly damaged) 
of small size, of Persian stained glass, such as is in 
the Suleymanieh Mosque at Constantinople and the 
Kubbet-es-Sakhrah at Jerusalem. We next entered 
the mosque. It is a very large and lofty building, 
consisting of a nave and two aisles, the nave much 
loftier than the aisles and far lighter ; the floor is 
matted. The roof is groined, and it seemed to me 
like a building of the Crusaders. The columns are 
clustered, and the lower parts 
have been still farther thickened, 
about 8 feet up. The walls are 
panelled with precious inlaid 
marbles, in bold patterns, about 
6 feet up, and all above this is 
whitewashed. The capitals were 
too high for me to see. The 
whole has a deserted, dusty, hand- 
some, solemn look. Immediately 
to the right is a sort of taber- 
nacle over a round brass boss, 
about 7 inches in diameter. This boss was unclasped 
and thrown back, and I was allowed to kneel down 
and peer into the cave itself DoAvn through this 




176 



MOSQUE OF HEBRON. 



hole hung a coarse iron lamp, with a glass and two 
flaring wicks, which shed a bright light. This light 
fell on the rough rocky floor of the cave, littered 
over with small oblong billets of white paper, 
not more, I should think, than 12 feet below my 
face. This was the most interesting place in the 
Haram. The columns of the little tabernacle were 
of polished grey marble, with beautiful whitey-yel- 
low capitals. 

' Hence we went to the tomb of Isaac. This, and 
that of Rebecca, are ugly buildings, like small low 
cottages, standing opposite one another on each side 
of the nave, between the pillars, constructed in 
bands of red and white. 



' They have windows, square and barred, in the 
north end and inner side, where is also a door. 
We peered through the end windows into the 
dusky dusty insides, filled up with great cenotaphs, 
like those of Abraham and Sarah, but not as hand- 
some, and Avithout canopies. Near the foot of 
Rebecca's shrine was an elegant and costly plat- 
form (Siddeh) against the pillars where the Cantors 




THE MOSQUE AT HEBRON. 



stand (luring service. On both cenotaphs were 
words, stating whose pkice " it was. We then 
passed up the east aisle, noticing half-way along 
it a beautiful circle of inlaid marble and silver 
mixed in the panelling. In the south-east corner 
is inserted a tablet Avith a Greek inscription, which 
was taken out of the cave. This had never been 
read, and so I carefully copied it. It being dark, 
they brought a large wax candle. Here it is, as 
I took it down: — 



ADeABPAAMABcuHe^ew^ or 

AONCOr N iXON TONA MAVHA 
^?AVHN KA} ^TAeHMEVON 

K/\iy n AN l< A 100 MAB I CKAieu) 
MAClANKAlABXAAAKAiANA 
CTACIAN 



. . . As stupid as it well can be. From this in- 
scription we passed along the south wall, passing, 
the Mehrab, or niche which shows the "direction" 
(Kibleh) of Mekkeh, a rather handsome work of fine 
marbles. High above it is another beautiful Persian 
window. Just west of it is the pulpit (mimbarj, 
a most eleo'ant and curious Avork of Avood carA^ino-, 
put together entirely Avithout metal. It seemed 
old. 

N 



178 



THE MOSQUE AT HEBRON. 



' Just west again of this is a second tabernacle, 
like the one over the hole into the cave, covering a 
trap-door of stone, in two leaves, the 
" J lesser fastened down with iron clamps. 
' i hJ ' This is the door of the cave, and I was 
informed (from tradition) that there w^as under it a 
stair which entered the cave about the place of the 
nearest pillar. There is a tradition that a certain 
Pacha once had the temerity to enter the cave. 
He saw Sarah combing her hair, but became almost 
immediately blind. From this point we passed down 
the west aisle, where was another piece of silver 
and marble work, and left the Mosque as we had 
entered it. We now crossed the court, and went 
into a small vestibule, clean, white, and matted, 
just opposite the Mosque door. There are doors 
on each side, where lie, on the west, Jacob, and 
on the east, Leah. Both apartments are octagons, 
new, clean, and whitewashed, with large windows 
to the south. On the thresholds were stands of 
silver for lamps. Both doorways were open, and 
I was invited to enter the shrine of Jacob. I 
walked round the cenotaph. The floor was richly 
carpeted with handsome prayer-carpets (heggadeh), 
and the tomb was lavishly covered with fine bright 
green silk palls, splendidly embroidered in gold, 
bearing holy mottoes, such as, There is no deity 
but God God is the most great ;" God lives 
"Praise be to God;" "In the name of God, the 



77//'; MOSQUE AT HEBRON. 



Merciful, tlic Compassionate;" " Mohammed is the 
Prophet of God;" and the name of God, Mo- 
hammed, Abubekr, Omar, Ah, &c. On the side 
next the door an inscription, as in the rest, bore 
the statement that this was the place of Jacob." 
I was asked not to enter 
the shrine of Leah, out of 
deference to her sex, but 
looked in freely. It was got 
up like Jacob's, bnt against 
the tomb rested two bright 
banners of green silk and 
gold, with gilt finials, which are carried in the 
sacred procession. 

' A Muslim entered and pushed one aside from 
her black and gold inscription, which was thus : — ■ 
" This is the place of Leah, the wife of Jacob. 
Let us pray our Lord that we may be with her 
in eternity." 

' Beyond the door of Jacob's tomb is a closet, 
seemingly disused. We were taken round into an 
unfrequented corridor (16) to see Joseph's tomb, 
but saw nothing but a ruinous chapel. "We then 
waited some time in the court for the key. At 

17 is a drinking fountain, such as is common in 
inosques,- and outside convents and churches. At 

18 is a polished square black stone about 1 ft. 
square, set about 4 ft. up in the wall. They said it 
Avas nothing, but I think it must be the Print of 




i8o 



THE MOSQUE AT HEBRON. 




Mohammed's Foot" spoken of by Fergusson. Below 
this stone, with his back to the Kibleh, knelt a man 

reciting the Kuran from a 
large copy on a desk. 

' This recitation never 
ceases, day or night, and is 
double, a second person being 
employed. There were about 
twenty persons all the time 
with us, who were quite civil. 
We left the Haram as we 
had entered it, and found an immense but silent 
crowd in the street. We were taken straight into 
some disused and shut-up buildings next to the 
Haram, and shown the tomb of Joseph, confessedly 
a sham. It appeared to be in an apartment below 
a ruined private house, and its misery was a marked 
contrast to the splendour of the others. The tomb 
was shabbily covered with dark green cloth, and 
the walls (whitewashed) marked with the names 
of God, Mohammed, Abubekr, Omar, Hassan, 
Huseyn, Ali, Fatmeh, and somebody else — perhaps 
Jesus. When we got into the street again we 
gave the Sheykh a baksheesh of twenty napoleons. 
He would not take it at first, but several urged 
him, and then he counted it before all, to avoid 
suspicion. I confess I think that the money con- 
siderably softened the faces of many. We made 
our adieux to the Sheykh, and went home undis- 



HEBRON. 



i8i 



turbed as wo luul come. The crowd was enormous 
and unfriendly, but silent. We entertained the 
mayor and head of police with pipes and coffee, 
wlien we got back. One took a baksheesh. The 
other refused, for fear of the Pacha," he said. So 
ends this matter.' 

Before returning to theh^ tents our travellers 
stopped at the so-called House of Jessa, which is 
still in Jewish hands, though no Jew is permitted 
to see or to pray by the dust of the Patriarchs ; and 
then went into the bazaar to purchase some of the 
blue glass bracelets and amulets for their horses, 
which are the staple manufacture of the place, 
together with the picturesque leathern water-skins 
(zemzymiahs) and some magnificent bunches of 
Eschol raisins. The Consul then proposed that 
they should ascend a rising ground not far from 
Abraham's oak, to see some curious ruins of a 
basilica of which the exterior walls are partly 
standing ; but the road was so precipitous and so 
encumbered with big stones, that it was with the 
utmost difficulty the horses kept their footing. 

After a fatiguing scramble the party regained 
their tents, and the following morning agreed to 
separate, the ladies for Jerusalem ; the gentlemen for 
an expedition to Gaza and the land of the Philistines, 
of which the following is a graphic description from 
the pen of one of the elders of the party : — 



l82 



EXPEDITION TO GAZA. 



' Marcli 15, Tuesday. — Beit Jibrin. 

' After passing a cold night in our tents at 
Hebron (which is said to be the highest situated 
town in Palestine), we were up by sunrise, and 
breakfasted under Abraham's oak. Our party now 
divided, and while the ladies and the doctor re- 
turned by way of the Gardens of Solomon to Jeru- 
salem, P and myself started on a five days' 

further tour through Southern Palestine and "the 

country of the Philistines." Besides Mr. K , 

who is a most excellent interpreter, manager, and 
companion, we have with us our English man- 
servant, Iskander, who came with us from Cairo, 
and a retinue of anativas (or tent-pitchers), four 
muleteers, and two mounted horsemen. Our escort 
of Bedouins left us at Mar-Saba, where four of the 
Pacha's irregular cavalry joined us as guards. One 
of the two who have come on with us, is an 
Albanian, who knows Southern Syria well. It is 
amusing to see how he inspires respect into the 
Arabs by strong guttural Albanian oaths, not a 
word of which they understand. He is very proud 
of having served under Ibrahim Pacha. Though a 
wild rough fellow, he appreciates greatly little kind- 
nesses, and seems most faithful. Last night as he 

was keeping watch, K heard him exclaim, " I 

swear that if even my father were to rise from the 
f>*rave and touch one of the ropes of this tent, I 



JEFFtfR. 



183 



Avoiild shoot him through the head." Though a 
Moslem he drinks wine, but says aloud for the 
salving of his conscience, " It is only sugar and 
water; only lemonade good for the health." He 
does not at all like our consulting a map, and says 
angrily : " I have travelled through the country for 
thirty years, do not I know better than your 
inches?" Our second guard is equally devoted 
to our service, but the two whom we sent back 
to Jerusalem were sluggish discontented fellows. 
These irregulars, or Bashi-Bazouks, are volunteers 
who receive some small pay from Government, and 
are sent by the Pacha for the protection of travel- 
lers on the application of a consul. Of course, 
while on service they receive extra pay — about 4s. 
a day — from their Frank employers. 

' After leaving Abraham's oak Ave traversed the 
Yalley of Eschol, which is still well cultivated and 
full of flourishing vineyards, and which, I dare say, 
is not so very greatly changed since the day on 
which the twelve Israelitish spies bore off in triumph 
the cluster of grapes as the first trophy of the Land 
of Promise. As we emerged from the valley, all 
signs of cultivation disappeared, and we made our 
way by one of the wildest and most rugged tracks 
in Palestine to Jeffuh. On the summit of a neigh- 
bouring hill we could see the site of Adoraim, one 
of " the cities of defence," which Eehoboam built for 
Judah. From Jeffuh we continually descended by 



i84 



BEIT-JIBEIN, 



a rocky zig-zag path till we reached a beautiful and 
fertile glen, called Wady-el-Feranj, probably from 
having been once a camping place for the Crusaders. 
In another hour or so we came to the little village 
of Idhna, where we rested ourselves and horses for 
an hour under the shade of a grove of olives close 
to an ancient-looking fountain. We asked the 
girls, who were drawing water, how old it was, and 
they answered as old as your time," meaning the 
time of the Crusaders. An hour and a half more 
brought us through a succession of green little 
valleys to the Wady of Beit-Jibrin. Here we stayed 
a few minutes to explore the ruined church dedi- 
cated to St. Anne by the Crusaders. Even the 
Moslem children here call the ruins the church of 
the holy Hanne," the name having evidently been 
handed down by tradition, as but few Franks come 
by this way. The ruins are very extensive, but 
half-buried in the ground, though the apse is still 
perfect. We then came on to Beit-Jibrin, and 
found our baggage-mules, which had gone a shorter 
w^ay, already arrived, and our tents in process of 
being pitched. 

' This place does not seem to have been a city of 
any importance till the time of the Emperor Severus, 
who gave it the name of Eleutheropolis (the free 
city), and bestow^ed on it many privileges. It 
played an important part in the wars of the Crusa- 
ders, who fortified it as a menace to the Saracenic 



BElT-JlBRiN. 



fortress of Ascalon. We visited tlie eastle, which 
the Crusaders built here, and were much interested 
in finding in one corner of the ruins an old cliapel 
with its columns and capitals still tolerably perfect. 
According to tradition this is the place where 
Samson slew the 1,000 Philistines with the jaw- 
bone of an ass, and I believe that the spring in the 
ruined castle is said to be that- which rose miracu- 
lously fi'om the jaw. However, the most famous of 
all the antiquities of Beit-Jibrin, are the wonderful 
caves in the neighbourhood, which we visited this 
afternoon. They reminded me of the Eoman cata- 
combs, but are much loftier, and are lighted from 
above. They form several series of arched cham- 
bers, cut out of the soft limestone. In some places 
we could even now trace the marks of the chisel. 
Nothing is known for certain about the origin of 
these caves, but it is generally supposed that they 
were excavated during the Babylonish captivity by 
the Edomites, whom St. Jerome calls Horites, or 
livers in caves ; " and who — he tells us — lived 
near Eleutheropolis. However, I think that these 
caves must have been also inhabited in later times, 

as K to-day deciphered in one of them a Cufic 

inscription (which has probably not been read for 
hundreds of years) to this effect : God ! Here 
was born Saida, who was born of Ali the prince. 
Made (^. e, carved) in the year 71." The year 71 
is evidently dated from the Hegira, and this is 



i86 



GAZA. 



therefore one of the most ancient Moslem inscrip- 
tions in the world. Cufic has, I believe, been a 
dead language for 1,000 years. There are also 
some inscriptions in ancient Arabic, and we saw 
several crosses high np on the walls, probably 
carved by the Crusaders. 

' In tent life we seem to come in for a fair 
amount of noise. Last night we were kept awake 
by the jackals, and to-night all the dogs (and they 
are no small number) of Beit-Jibrin are barking in 
chorus.' 

' Marcli 16t]i, Wednesday. — Gaza (now called Ghuzzeli). 

' To-day we have ridden some thirty-eight miles, 
our longest stage as yet in Syria ; but as we started 
early, and the climate is cool in comparison with 
the plain of the Jordan, we came on at a good pace, 
and had the afternoon to spend here. To-day, 
too, we have had somewhat of an adventure, and 
thankful we ought to be that we are now safe and 
sound in our tents. We were up soon after 4 a.m., 
and eii route before long. One of our horsemen, the 
Albanian, went as an escort with the baggage-mules, 

which we sent by a shorter route, while P and 

myself with K , taking with us the younger 

Bashi-Bazouk, took the longer and less frequented 
route by the sites of Eglon and Lachish, which from 
their Bible associations are well worthy of a visit. 

' Leaving the valley of Beit-Jibrin, we came 



BEDOUTN SHEIKH. 



1H7 



tlii'ou^'h a SOI no wliat rocky and undulating conntiy, 
and in tlie course of a couple of hours, after passing 
througli the village of Arak-el-Menshizeh, emerged 
on the broad and fertile plain (really a continua- 
tion of tlie more northerly plain of Sharon) which 
stretches down to the sea. We then galloped a 
couple of miles till we came to the deserted Tillage 
of Es-Sukharizeh, " the Sugary," probably so called 
from the sugar-cane having once been cultivated 
there. We had but just left the ruins of the village 
when we perceived, at the distance of perhaps 100 
yards, a Bedouin sheikh brandishing his spear and 
awaiting our approach. He was armed to the teeth 
with a perfect array of pistols in his belt, and 
mounted on a beautiful thorough-bred mare. He 
was accompanied by a single attendant on foot, 
who, in contrast with the gay trappings of his 
master, presented but a sorry appearance. Though 
the sheikh seemed by no means well-disposed, and 
we knew that he might have a score of men within 
his call (Bedouins always seem to spring up out of 
the ground like Robin Hood's or Rob Roy's men), 
it would never have done to seem afraid, and so we 

rode straight up to him, and K accosted him 

in the terse Bedouin phrase, Friends?" He half- 
doubtingiy answered Friends," and scanned us 
awhile from head to foot. AVe had purposely exposed 
our revolvers in our belts, and so he saw that he 
must needs fight if he would plunder us. He then 



i88 



BEDOUIN TENTS. 



spoke a few words to our guard, who told him that 
we were persons of great consequence, and that, if 
any harm came to us, an English army would 
overrun the country and execute vengeance for any 
injury done to us. - 

' The Bedouin, who was a fierce-looking and yet 
a handsome fellow, apparently about forty years of 
age and looking as strong as a lion, rode a few 
yards by our side, seemingly in doubt as to what 
he should do ; then he left us and turned aside 
from the track, then again followed us at some 
little distance. This kind of manoeuvre was once 
more repeated, and while the sheikh was dogging 
our steps, we could only go at a foot's-pace lest he 
should imagine that we feared him and thereby be 
emboldened. Soon we saw an ominous encamp- 
ment of black Bedouin tents a quarter of a mile or 
so to our left, in which direction the sheikh disap- 
peared, as we thought, very likely to summon his men. 
Yet we dared not go fast as we were within view 
of the encampment, and the sight of us, as it Avere, 
gallojDing in flight, would certainly have kindled 
the love of plunder in any Bedouins. To add to 
our perplexity we now found that we had lost the 
track, but luckily soon came upon a party of some 
poor fellahs who are allowed by the Bedouins to 
cultivate part of the country subject to a kind of 
tribute and many lawless raids. They told me 
that the sheikh, whom we had met, was one of the 



BEDOUIN ENCAMPMENT. 



most desperate eluiracfeivs in the comitiy, well 
known for his ferocity and cruelty. He had been 
known to attack as many as eight or ten unarmed 
travellers at once, and was the terror of the fellah- 
villages, many of which he had sacked, carrying off 
the women as slaves. The peasants, moreover, 
told us that the track, on wdiich we then were, 
would lead us into the midst of another Bedouin 
encampment ; had we gone on we should pro- 
bably have been robbed of everything, even had we 
escaped Avith our lives. Arabs seldom attack travel- 
lers, unless they are certain of getting the mastery 
through numbers, and then their salutation is brief, 
" Strip — S^Doil — You are in our hands !" If any of 
their own party are killed, they execute vengeance, 
otherwise they are generally content with plunder. 
HoAvever, for our comfort, the peasants told us that 
nearly all the horses belonging to the Bedouins 
were out at grass some miles off, so they could not 
pursue us in any numbers. AVe now got into" the 
right track, and in five or ten minutes saw the 
second Bedouin encampment, towards which we 
had unwittingly been tending, a short distance to 
our right. We could not help feeling that we 
were in the midst of those whose hand is against 
every man, and every man's hand against them." 
However, we still walked our horses till we reached 
the point of some high ground, and then being out 
of sight fi-om both Bedouin encampments, we put 



LACHI8H. 



our horses into a gallop, and in half-an-hour were 
far away. 

' The place where we first met the sheikh was 
almost within a stone's throw of a hillock covered 
with the debris of ruins, which still preserves in 
its name Ajlan the memory of the ancient Egion. 
Eiding some three miles across the plain we passed 
Um Lakis, which is also a low hill covered with 
stones and is the representative of Lachish of the 
Philistines. The slaughter of Sennacherib's vast 
hosts before Lachish by the angel of the Lord has 
been the subject of one of Byron's best known odes ; 
but on the spot itself, the events described in the 
Book of Kings seemed yet more vivid and present 
than could be called up to one's mind by any poetry. 
From Um Lakis we continued our course through 
the plain, green with young corn and gi^ass, so diffe- 
rent from the hill-country we had so lately traversed, 
till we came to a large village, called Bureir, where 
we rested ourselves and our horses. The village has 
rather an Egyptian than a Syrian look, and the 
presence of some palm-trees completed the simili- 
tude. Leaving Bureir we had a couple of hours' 
ride to Gaza through meadows, corn-fields, and 
olive-groves which put to shame even the most 
luxuriant districts in Italy. I now see how the 
kingdom of Judali with the possession of this broad 
expanse of plain, so well adajoted for every kind of 
cultivation, was able to cope with the more nu- 



GAZA, 



191 



merous populiitioii of tlie ten tribes. The olive- 
groves ill the neighbourhood of Gaza are very 
extensive, and are only, I believe, surpassed in 
Syria by those of Damascus and Beyrout. On ar- 
riving at Gaza, we sought shelter from the heat of 
the sun in a peasant's garden, where we obtained 
water and lettuces, while our Bashi-Bazouk w^ent into 
the town to buy oranges and bread. Soft unlea- 
vened cakes, and some excellent coffee in the ordinary 
tiny cups, completed our repast. In the afternoon 
our mules arrived with the servants and baggage, 
and we went at once to our camping-ground, an 
open space near the governor's house, which we 
had selected for security. Afterwards we went to 
see the so-called tomb of Samson, and then rode up 
to a hill on the southern side of the town called 
Mukam-el-Muntar, which is said to have been the 
place to which Samson carried the Gates of Gaza. 
From this hill we had a splendid panorama of the 
surrounding country. Before us to the west, lay 
the straggling town, then a belt of sand-hills, and 
at a distance of two or three miles, the blue waters 
of the Mediterranean. On the other side we had 
the plain through which we had been journeying ; 
but on the south, beyond the green pastures of 
Beersheba, stretched the arid waste of the Great 
Desert. How many associations did the scene be- 
fore us call up, where the tent of the Hebrew 
patriarch, containing within its folds all that was 



192 



GAZA. 



known of the true God on earth, had so often been 
pitched. On returning to the town, with the 
assistance and under the protection of a Moslem 

friend of K 's (for the natives here are a most 

bigoted race and have a cordial hatred and con- 
tempt for Christian dogs"), we visited the great 
mosque of Gaza. Though for the last 600 years 
used as a mosque, it was originally a Christian 
church, built, it is said, by the Empress Helena. 
The interior is very bare, but the nave and aisles, 
separated by Corinthian columns, of the original 
building, are still perfect, and have nothing in com- 
mon with Saracenic architecture. . 

' Gaza is rather a collection of villages, like ancient 
Sparta, than a town properly so called. Though 
the outpost of Palestine on the side of the desert, it 
has no wall or fortification of any kind. The town's 
people, however, keep on excellent terms with the 
wandering Bedouins, and supply them with food, 
clothes, and arms, in exchange for the more costly, 
but less useful merchandise which is brought into 
Gaza captured from caravans in the desert. Some 
years ago English and other consular agencies were 
established here ; but within the last few days, the 
people rose e7i masse, tore down the flags, and 
accomplished their object of driving out all signs of 
foreigners. I hear that at present there is but a 
single European resident at Gaza, an Italian, who 
combines the professions of barber and govern- 



GAZA. 



193 



ment doctor of quarantine. The exchange at Gaza 
is much better than at any other town in tlie East, 
as you receive 125 piastres for a sovereign instead 
of 120. In fact, it would repay you if you wanted 
to exchange a large sum of money, to go all the 
way from Jerusalem to Gaza for this object. Of 
course, everything becomes proportionately dearer 
in the town itself 

^ This evening the governor of Gaza came to pay 
us a visit and offer us his services. I hear that he 
is a man avcU known for his tyranny and strong- 
handed, yet unscrupulous government, on account 
of Avhich he was at one period deposed by the pacha 
of Jerusalem. However, he went off immediately 
to the Bedouins, whom he had previously repressed, 
and raised a rebellion. The pacha accordingly was 
forced to reinstate him. To us, however, he made 
himself very agreeable, and was most chatty over 
his coffee. He at once recognised our description 
of the Bedouin sheikh whom we had met, and knew 
his name (the same as the peasants had told us) 
and all about him, even the colour of his mare. 
The governor said that he is well known as a 
desperate character with blood-stained hands, and 
that for the last two years the pacha has set a price 
upon his head, dead or alive. He likewise told us 
that we should have realised a large sum if we had 
shot him dead ; and seemed greatly surprised that 
we had not at least tried to do so. He is not a 

o 



194 



ASGALON. 



pure Bedouin by descent, having a taint of Nubian 
blood, but he is the leader of a small band of his 
own, desperadoes like himself. It was, perhaps, 
fortunate, that we had not our Albanian with us 
when we met this brigand-chief, as we hear that he 
has sworn to slay the first Albanian he meets in 
revenge for the death of his brother by one of that 
nation. Thank God, we are all here safe and sound.' 

' Marcli 17t]i, Thursday.— EsMud (Ashdod). 

' We left Gaza at 7 a.m., and rode northward 
along the seaward edge of the plain, on the fertile 
fields of which however the sand from the shore is 
fast encroaching. At the village of Barbarah, we 
left the regular track and made a detour to visit 
the ruins of Ascalon on the sea-coast. We found 
shade in one of the gardens which occupy the site 
of the ancient city and spent a couple of hours 
resting and exploring the ruins. The position of 
Ascalon is magnificent, situated on a hill with a 
moderate elevation on the land side ; but facing the 
Mediterranean, it has a natural fortification of pre- 
cipitous cliffs, which run along the shore and are 
nearly 100 feet in height. In every direction on 
this raised plateau the ground is strewed with huge 
fragments of solid masonry. There are masses of 
stones and bricks still cemented together lying about 
as if upheaved and overturned by some tremendous 
earthquake. At one place we saw the old em- 



ASCALON, 



195 



battled walls still standing for 80 or 100 yards, 
and on the northern side of the city we discovered 
the remains of a temple or perhaps a chnrch with 
its Grecian columns still standing. A great part 
of the site of the city is occupied by little gardens 
among the ruins, the gateways of the gardens being 
generally made out of ancient marble and granite 
columns. Such is the higher portion, the citadel 
as it were, of what was once a city of palaces, but 
the lower part is yet more terribly desolate, being- 
year by year and day by day more surrounded and 
covered by the sand which drifts up from the de- 
sert. A belt of sand of some 500 yards' breadth 
even now divides Ascalon from the plain, and is 
daily encroaching on this devoted city. In some 
places we saw trees still green half-buried in sand. 
Were it not that a great part of the city stands on 
a hill, there would not long be traces of the once 
proud Ascalon. Truly and literally are fulfilled the 
prophecies, " Ashkelon shall be a desolation " and 

Ashkelon shall not be inhabited." Half-a-mile 
from the remains of the northern wall is a mise- 
rable hamlet, with the significant name of El-Jurah 

the desolate," but within the ancient city there 
is not a single habitation. The depth of the sand 
made this part of our journey dreadfully distressing 
to the horses, while the heat made it almost im- 
possible to walk. 

^ It was with a feeling of relief that we returned 



196 



ASHDOD. 



to the plain, which in this part is as fertile as any 
land in England and requires much less care and 
farming. At Mejdel, quite a little town for this 
part of the world, we rested an hour or more in the 
yard of the public caravanserai and were regaled 
with excellent coffee and nargilehs. Leaving Mejdel 
we rode some little distance through olive-groves 
and vineyards, on which, alas ! the sand is already 
encroaching, and then entering the open plain had 
an hour's gallop to this place. We found our tents 
ready-pitched just outside the village, near a well of 
water worked by a thoroughly Egyptian wheel, 
which reminds one that in this southern part of 
Palestine are many Egyptian immigrants brought 
here by Ibrahim Pacha. 

^ This evening we have witnessed a thoroughly 
Oriental mode of justice, which, perhaps, is worth 
while recording. A Nubian had joined our ser- 
vants' party for security, and was accompanying 
them from Gaza, when by chance they met a 
small band of unarmed Bedouins on foot. The 
Nubian at once recognised them as the identical 
persons who, a year ago, robbed him in this neigh- 
bourhood of his clothes and 500 piastres. He 
appealed to the guard, our fierce Albanian friend, 
who, without any more ado, drove off a donkey 
belonging to the Bedouins in lieu of restitution. 
They followed to Eshdud and appealed to the sheikh 
of the villiage. Finally the Bedouins recovered 



EKRON, 



'97 



their donkey by going to a neighbouring tomb of 
some Moslem saint, and there thrice swearing that 
they had never robbed the black man. 

' Though Aslidod was famous in the border wars 
of the Israelites and Philistines, and, in later times, 
held out for twenty-nine years against Psammitichus, 
King of Egypt, there seems to be hardly any traces 
of the ancient city, and the present village of Eshaud 
is itself quite modern. Ashdod is by many, and 
probably rightly, identified with Azotus, where S. 
Philip the deacon was found after the baptism of 
the Ethiopian eunuch, but some authorities assert 
that Azotus is another name for Ascalon.' 

' March 18tli, Eriday.— Tell-es-Safieli (Gath). 

' We were away from Eshdud soon after sunrise, 
and for a time held on our course northward, still 
having to our left a sandy barren ridge which inter- 
venes between the plain and the sea. At Bushut, 
a poor hamlet, we left the sea-coast, and turning to 
the right rode on, in a north-easterly direction some 
twelve or fifteen miles, to 'Aids, the ancient Ekron. 
Here Ave halted some time, taking refuge fi^om the 
noon-day heat, as usual, in a peasant's garden. We 
were soon the centre of a little circle of natives who 
entertained us with coffee, roasted, ground, and 
boiled on the spot, and were most friendly and com- 
municative. The conversation, which we held with 
them through K as interpreter, is a type of 



198 



MOSLEM THEORIES. 



several which we have had during the last few days, 
and, perhaps, it is worth while recording some of 
their sentiments. The peasants told us they knew 
the ancient name of ' Akir was Ekron, having been 
told so by travellers, and said that they had them- 
selves dug up massive antique vases. They be- 
lieved that we were wandering about the country 
to examine the spots where hidden treasure is con- 
cealed, which Franks cannot touch now although 
they will soon, when they take possession of the land. 
Strange to say, it seems to be the universal belief 
among the peasants — nay, also even among many 
men of high position — that the Franks will soon 
occupy the territory now held by the Moslems. A 
verse in the Koran says, " By the sword the Mo- 
hammedan religion shall rise, and by the sword it 
shall fall." And at the present moment enthu- 
siastic Moslems fully expect that the time is soon 
coming when the Franks shall rule, but," they add, 
" in later times the power of Islam shall again shine 
forth in renewed and heightened splendour." The 
quantity of flies at this place was quite marvellous. 
They covered our faces and hands even more de- 
spairingly than in Egypt, tickling so dreadfully 
when we tried to rest that it was impossible to 
sleep. The heat was intense and quite knocked up 
one of the party, who nearly fainted in the saddle. 

' When our hosts heard that we were English, 
they greeted us as allies, for, in common with most 



STATJ^ OF THE PEASANTRY. 



199 



Moslems, they believe that the English are ser- 
A^ants of the Sultan bound to serve and protect him 
in time of need. ^' The Sultan is according to his 
title the King of kings," says the loyal Oriental, 
" and it is the highest privilege of the Queen of 
England, who is but his slave, to obey him." The 
more educated Turks, who know this to be false, 
say that England is an instrument in the hands of 
fate to defend their country. The 'Akir peasants 
had heard of the Suez Canal and told us that there 
were superhuman engines employed on it. They 
were much pleased with, but at the same time in 
considerable awe of, our revolvers, which they be- 
lieved had been fabricated by genii so as to go off 
at the owner's will. Only one of the villagers, who 
was the priest of the place, could read and write ; he 
had been educated at Cairo and seemed a rigid 
Moslem. One of the party frankly told us that his 
ancestors had been originally Christians, but his 
family had been forced by the sword to embrace 
the faith of Islam. He gave us the usual Moslem 
salutation, which it is forbidden to address to a 

Christian, " Peace be upon you," to which K 

answered in like phrase, " And upon you be peace." 
I do not know whether it is the case in southern 
Palestine, but it is said that in the neighbourhood 
of Damascus a considerable portion of the present 
Moslem population is descended from Christian 
ancestors, and I have heard that some among the 



200 



GATE. 



poorest of the fellah-peasants can still trace up their 
pedigree to some of the noblest Syro-Norman 
families, who remained in the East after the de- 
parture of the Crusaders. The theory, however, 
that the Druses are en masse descended from Franks 
seems to be altogether without foundation. 

' From 'Akis, instead of continuing our northerly 
course which would have brought us in an hour or 
two to Ramleh (where we slept on our way from 
Jaffa to Jerusalem), we doubled back as it were to 
the south-east, and striking across country through 
meadows and corn-fields, made for this place some 
twelve miles distant. Gath stands on a hill and so 
is a notable feature in the landscape for a great 
distance. We passed close to a Bedouin camp, 
which was pitched — probably to the despair of the 
fellahs — in the midst of cultivated fields. These 
Bedouins seemed to have immense herds and flocks 
of camels, horses, asses, cows and sheep. However, 
like most Bedouins, who possess much cattle, they 
were peaceably enough disposed to travellers, but 
they are the terror of the agricultural peasants. 
There are two harvests a-year in this rich plain, one 
in summer and a second in autumn ; but often a little 
before harvest-time, the Bedouins come up from the 
desert, and turning out their cattle to feed amid 
the corn, lay hundreds of acres waste. 

/ The heat to-day was intense, and a peasant 
told us that rain is much needed, without which 



OATH. 



201 



tlio hurvest will be but a poor one. Even now in 
Marcli the crops arc quite scorched and yellowed by 
tlie sun. We arrived here early in the afternoon 
and found our baggage-mules, which had come 
straight from Eshdud, arrived and our tents already 
pitched in a field just below the village, which 
stands on a hill facing and overlooking the plain of 
Philistia. It must have been a very strong position, 
as it commands the pass from the plain to the hill- 
country, and not only w^as one of the principal royal 
cities of tlie Philistines, but was also of great im- 
portance in the time of the Crusades (when it v/as 
called Blanchegarde) being for a long while the 
head-quarters of Coeur de Lion. Of course there 
are some persons who deny the identity of Tell-es- 
Safich with Gath, but with no other site does the 
description given of Gath by Eusebius and St. Jerome 
agree. 

' To-day we saw a mirage. It is certainly a most 
wonderful deception, and, had we not known that 
there was no lake near, we should have been certain 
that we saw a vast sheet of water. As we ap- 
proached, it gradually disappeared. Though often 
seen in the desert, it is but seldom seen in a culti- 
vated district. We have, however, beheld no less 
than three or four mirages wdthin the last few days. 

' This evening we have been out walking by 
moonlight and met some parties of peasants with 
whom, through K , Ave had some conversation. 



202 



STATE OF THE FEASANTS. 



Their usual salutation was — ^' Welcome," to which 
our answer was — Two welcomes." Some of them 
told us that they worked hard in the fields all day 
and tended cattle all night, and yet at the year's 
end they had scarcely anything to live on. The 
land hereabouts is crown land, and the peasants 
have to pay a rent equivalent to one-fifth of the 
produce to the government. Formerly the rent was 
levied in kind, but of late it has been in money. 
The Pacha, moreover, makes no allowance for bad 
harvests, and the exactions of the collectors, like 
those of the Jewish publicans, are most iniquitous. 
With this tremendous tax rigorously levied, and 
subject as they are to continual depredations at the 
.hands of the Bedouins, the poor fellahs have a hard 
time of it. We told the peasants about labourers 
in England, and how our government cannot levy 
taxes ad libitum as in Palestine, and they said, 
" Would that the Franks would come and take this 
country ! " The Arabs, one and all, seem to have 
a cordial hatred for the Turks, though at the same 
time they entertain a kind of loyal chivalrous feel- 
ing towards the person of the Sultan. We bade 
them good-night in Eastern phrase — " Depart in 
peace," and they answered — "May you go likewise." ' 

' March. IQth, Saturday. — Jerusalem. 

^ The last day of our tour in southern Palestine, 
we were up even earlier than usual and in our 



THE VALLEY OF ELAH, 



203 



saddles before sunrise. AVe had now returned to 
the hill country and had to thread our way through 
narrow glens, in most places well-cultivated and 
green with young corn, bounded by hills covered 
with shrubberies. After a while we came to a col- 
lection of beautiful olive-groves, which surround 
the little village of Ajjur, and soon afterwards we 
emerged on the Wady-es-Surat, famous in Bible 
history by its ancient name of " the Yalley of Elah," 
as the battle-ground between David and Goliath. 
It stretches some four or five miles in length, but, I 
should think, not more than a mile in breadth. A 
more lovely vale I have never seen, and we saw it 
to its best advantage by the morning sun. We 
passed to our left Jell-Zakariza, probably the site of 
Azekah ; and, at some little distance from it, we 
came to a place called Shuweikeh, the Socoh of the 
ancients. Between these two towns the host of the 
Philistines lay encamped, when for forty days the 
giant descended into the plain to defy the armies 
of Israel. On the other side of the valley, close 
under the hills, was the camp of the Israelites, and 
between the two encampments was the brook out 
of which David selected the five pebbles for his 
sling. At the further end of the valley we rode 
through this same torrent-bed, at this time of the 
year, dry and still covered with thousands of smooth 
stones. After the death of Goliath, the routed armies 
of the Philistines fled to Gath and Ekron by the 



204 



THE HILL-COUNTRY OF JUD^A. 



very route which we had taken. We could easily pic- 
ture to ourselves on the spot, with the great features 
of the landscape apparently unchanged, the heart- 
stirring incidents of the encounter of the two cham- 
pions ; but the associations of battle and bloodshed, 
but ill-harmonised with the peaceful scene before 
us. However, I hear that within the last twenty 
years this same valley of Elah has been the fiercely 
contested battle-ground between two Bedouin tribes. 

' We now entered again the hill-country of Judgea, 
wild and beautiful in its way, but almost utterly 
destitute of any cultivation. The hills are covered, 
it is true, with many-coloured flowers, such as are 
garden-plants in England, but here growing in wild 
luxuriance ; and also with aromatic shrubs ; but the 
terraces which once supported belts of corn, olives, 
vines, and figs, have long since been washed away 
by the rains through the peasants neglecting to 
strengthen them or keep them in repair. Now and 
then we came to some favoured spots under proper 
cultivation, and there nature fully repays the care of 
the industrious husbandman. It is said that the 
disappearance of the woods, which once clothed the 
hills of Judeea, has exposed the country during the 
summer months to a far greater length of drought 
than formerly, and this, coupled with the neglect 
of all proper agriculture, fiiUy accounts for the de- 
solate appearance of what was of old described as 
" a land flowing with milk and honey." We halted 



RETURN TO JURUSALEM. 



205 



for four or five hours during the iioou-(hiy lieat 
under some eitron-trces, tired out as we were from 
our early risings and long rides of the last ten days. 
We started again at three o'clock and had a three 
hours' ride to Jerusalem, passing en route St. Philip's 
Fountain, which w^e had previously visited from 
Bethlehem, the Wady-el-Werd (the Valley of Roses) 
and the Greek convent of the Cross, to both of 
which places our rides from Jerusalem had ex- 
tended a fortnis^ht a^'o. We arrived at Jeru- 
salem before sunset, at which hour the city gates 
are closed, and soon were comfortably located in 
the Mediterranean Hotel, where we found the rest 
of our party.' 



206 



ON THE WAY TO NAZARETH, 



CHAPTER VIII. 

ON THE WAY TO NAZARETH. 

With a heavy heart one fine morning in April our 
travellers mounted at the convent door, and rode 
for the last time out of the Damascus gate. The 
day was bright and beautiful ; spring flowers car- 
peted the ground, and for about two hours the 
path was tolerably smooth and easy ; but after 
passing Jeba the road became rocky and precipi- 
tous to the last degree ; more a goat track, in fact, 
than anything else. Their horses also were strange 
and somewhat unmanageable, and one little mare 
having taken to fighting a grey horse belonging to 
a lady who had joined their party, the beasts bit 
and kicked with such goodwill that no efi'orts of 
their riders could separate them ; and one more 
vigorous kick than the rest, having cut the girths 
which held one of the saddles, the lady found her- 
self suddenly under her steed instead of above him, 
in the midst of a very disagreeable struggle of 
horses' heels (of which she received her full share), 
and was with difficulty rescued, much bruised and 
mauled, but not seriously hurt. A scrambling ride 



AIN HARAMlYEll. 



207 



11}) a steep gorge brought tlieiii to Miclimasli, now 
a wretched viUage, but mcntioiKid by Eusebius as 
an important town in his day. The ruins still 
remain of a very fine church once dedicated to the 
Blessed Virgin, but now utterly desolate. From 
Michmasli, the party rode on to Bethel, passing on 
their way by the ruins of Ai. It was here that 
Abraham encamped w^itli his nephew Lot, and that 
they agreed to separate, Lot choosing the plain of 
the Jordan for his resting-place. On all sides there 
are ruins of churches and towers ; but Bethel is 
rich in Old Testament recollections, and a standing 
monument likewise to the fulfilment of the pro- 
phecy against her that she should ' come to 
nought.' In the valley below is a cistern 300 feet 
long, out of which spring tw^o fountains of clear 
pure water, in the midst of a green sward sprinkled 
with cyclamen and yellow irises. An hour's ride 
brought them to a beautiful camping-ground called 
' Ain Haramiyeh,' or the Bobber's Fountain, where 
they found their tents pitched close to a gushing 
stream, while a wooded glen to the right, full of 
fig and olive trees, gave a welcome shade to those 
who were disposed to stroll in that direction ; but 
two of the party were thankful to crawl to their 
tent beds : the one suffering from fever caught at 
Jerusalem ; the other so stifi" with the bruises she 
had received in the morning that it was wdth the 
utmost difficulty she had continued in the saddle. 



208 



NABLUS. 



The effort of rising the next day at half-past 
three in the morning was nearly as great, and at 
first seemed simply impossible ; but if anything 
could compensate for the physical pain, it was the 
extreme beauty of the ride from Ain Haramiyeh 
to Shechem, now called Nablus, which was to be 
their next halting-place. Winding through the 
rocky wooded gorge which they had glanced at the 
the previous evening, and sorely tempted every 
moment to stop and gather the lovely tufts of wild 
flowers which grew in every fissure of the rocks, 
they emerged into a wide and beautiful plain, 
richly cultivated and bounded by mountains. In 
the opening between the two ranges of Gerizim 
and Ebal is the modern town, with its white houses 
and minarets, its orange and olive groves ; the 
whole forming the most exquisite and finished pic- 
ture. Dean Stanley's description, which our travel- 
lers had been reading in the morning, is accurate 
as a daguerreotype ; and his happy selection from 
Van de Velde's ' Travels,' touches on the one point 
which at once struck on the artistic sense of the 
party ; that it was the only place in Palestine where 
there were ^ atmospheric tints ' in the landscape. 
The absence of this is painfully seen in the chromo- 
lithographs of M. Carl Werner's drawings, which 
are true to nature, but hard to the eye, from the 
fiery tints and black shadows of the hill-sides. 
Now, in the Vale of Shechem, the vegetation near 



JACOB'S WELL. 



209 



the town retains the moisture which is wanting 
elsewhere, and produces that wonderfully ' lovely, 
bluish haze,' so dear to the heart of the painter. 
But the heat was intense, and on reaching a rising 
ground where there were some fine old olive-trees, 
some of the party determined to rest till evening, 
without encountering the broiling descent of the 
hill till the sun's rays had become less vivid. The 
others, however, to whom heat was an unmixed 
enjoyment, rode on to Jacob's Well, which is at the 
mouth of the valley ; a spot undisputed even by 
the writers of the present day, whose whole object 
seems, in general, to be to overturn every hallowed 
tradition and weaken the faith of all succeeding 
ages by materialising and profaning every spot on 
w^hich they tread. Here the travellers dismounted, 
and visited, first, a little white Moslem mosque, 
built over the tomb of J oseph ; and then, descending 
a rough bit of ground to the left, they came on the 
mouth of the well, with its broken edge of stone, 
but still undeniably the well, which, whether in the 
Old or New Testament, is associated with all that 
is most touching and beautiful in Holy Scripture 
narrative. Leaving the spot with great reluctance, 
our party galloped along the smooth cultivated 
sward till they reached the city gates, and then 
rode slowly and careftilly through the narrow ill- 
paved streets, and in the midst of a fanatical popu- 
lation, who spit at them as they passed, to a 

p 



210 



SAMARITAN SYNAGOGUE. 



wooded grove at the other end of the town, near 
a rushing stream, where they had desired their 
tents to be pitched. But the suffocating heat of 
this spot made it impossible to remain there ; and 
after some deliberation, they fixed on a camping- 
ground higher up, on a raised plateau not far fi-om 
the ascent of Gerizim, contenting themselves with 
the shade of some trees in the stifling little valley 
till the ' atwals,' or tent-pitchers, had done their 
duty above. 

In the afternoon, they went with the Samaritan 
rabbi, Jacob Erd Shallif, to the synagogue, where 
they were shown the oldest known copy of the 
Pentateuch, a roll in a most curious cylindrical 
silver case, richly embossed and engraved, and 
admirably given in the photograph of Mr. Bedford. 
It was said to have been written by the son of 
Eliezer, the grandson of Aaron and the nephew of 
Moses ! Another copy, less ancient, but still of 
very respectable date, was likewise brought for 
their inspection, and some pages torn out and 
given them before they had time to remonstrate at 
the sacrilege. They also saw a stone in the court- 
yard on which was carefully engraved the first 
three verses of the first chapter of Genesis, and the 
words three times repeated : ' I am the God of 
Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob.' This stone was 
found on Mount Gerizim. Jacob next took them 
into his own house, and introduced them to his wife 



MOUNT GERIZIM. 



21 I 



and children, tlie former of whom is very beautiful. 
Two or three of his co-religionists were likewise 
present, in the red turbans which are the distinctive 
mark of their sect. But they gave a dismal account 
of the decay in their numbers, which would lead 
one to suppose that another century would see the 
extinction of this most curious and unique remnant 
of an ancient and bygone faith. The following day, 
very early in the morning, the party started for the 
ascent of Mount Gerizim, through a winding path 
bordered by prickly pear, orange, and other fruit- 
trees, while beautiful monthly roses, in full bloom, 
grew luxuriantly in what we should call the hedge- 
rows. Soon the road became more barren and steep, 
with caves on either side ; and finally, vegetation 
ceased altogether, and they had to dismount and 
scramble up the remainder of the way, holding on 
by the projections in the rock. Mount Gerizim has 
been so admirably and minutely described by Dean 
Stanley and Mr. Tristram, that any further words 
by any future traveller could be but a repetition 
of theirs. The place of the Paschal sacrifice, still 
offered in this one spot on earth ; the ruins of 
Christianity grafted on the same site ; the rock of 
sacrifice corresponding in size and shape with that 
in the Mosque of Omar ; and, above all, the glorious 
view, which embraces the whole of Central Pales- 
tine — a view unrivalled in the Holy Land ; all this 
our travellers thoroughly entered into and enjoyed. 



212 



BAZAARS. 



Close by the ruins of the ancient basilica is a tower, 
built by Justinian to protect the church. An old 
shepherd was living in it, and pointed out all the 
traditional sites of interest around. Descending the 
hill, some of the party rode with the English Yice- 
Consul into the town, which from this side looked 
more picturesque than ever, the white minarets and 
graceful palms and dome-covered houses standing 
out against the bright green vegetation around. 
The bazaars are excellent, with large manufactories 
of soap, cotton, pottery, and, above all, saddlery, 
which they embroider in beautiful and fantastic 
patterns, and in the brightest colours. But the 
pleasure of shopping was marred by the surliness 
of the inhabitants. In the centre of the town is 
a Christian basilica, with beautiftil marble pillars 
and carved capitals, now converted into a mosque. 
By the help of the Pacha's firman and a liberal 
' bakshesh,' two of the party were allowed to enter : 
a very unusual privilege, and one resented by the 
population, who gathered in menacing attitude on 
the outside, but were restrained from open violence 
by the Moslem keeper of the mosque who had 
admitted the strangers within the forbidden pre- 
cincts. The church is in perfect preservation and 
full of Christian emblems ; though the altars have 
been removed, and replaced by the usual solitary 
Mahometan pulpit. But the day was waning, the 
Duke of M was about to occupy their Nablous 



8EBA8TE. 



213 



campiug-groiind, ciucl so the tents were struck, 
and our travellers cantered along the same beautiful 
green valley and over a picturesque bridge for six 
miles till they reached Sebaste,* the ancient Samaria, 
situated on a hill with a flat top overlooking the 
glorious plain, with a long line of broken pillars 
(the remains of Herod's palace), on the one side, 
and the deeply interesting ruins of the Knights 
Templars' Church of St. John the Baptist on the 
other. They camped on this piece of beautiful 
smooth sward on the high table-land, and then 
strolled down to examine the church, built in 396 
by Theodosius over the tomb of St. John the 
Baptist, upon the site of an old temple of Serapis, 
and which has now been converted into a (disused) 
mosque. The broken crosses and emblems of those 
faithful defenders of the Holy Land are still seen 
embedded in the walls. A flight of steps conducts 
the pilgrim to the prison where St. John the 
Baptist is said to have been confined, and finally 
beheaded.f 

And now the road leads them, through fertile 
pasture-land and past inland basins of rain-water 
covered with wild-fowl, to Jenin, with its beautiful 

* Sebaste in Greek signifies Augustus, and was so called by Herod 
to flatter tbe Emperor. 

t Josepbus says St. Jobn tbe Baptist was confined in tbe castle of 
Macberus, two leagues beyond tbe Lake Aspbaltites, upon tbe borders 
of Arabia Petra3a. But tbere seems no doubt as to bis bavincr been 
buried at Sebaste. 



214 JEZBEEL, 

date-palms and olive-trees and orange-groves. But 
the inhabitants were surly and fanatical. From a 
cave in the rocks two of them had pointed their 
long guns at the cavalcade as they neared the 
village ; but on being pursued by one of the horse- 
men, armed with a revolver, they rapidly retreated. 
The travellers rested during the heat of the noon- 
day sun in a parklike ground, with fine trees, by 
the side of a rushing stream ; but their occupation 
of it w^as disputed by the inhabitants, and finding 
that the only eligible spot for pitching the tents 
had been secured by the servants of the Duke of 

M , they resolved to push on a few miles 

farther, and camp at Jezreel. A straight route, 
four miles in length, leads direct to the city — now 
in ruins — and to the remains of Ahab's watch- 
tower ; that very route by which ^ Jehu the son of 
Nimshi ' was seen ' driving furiously.' They found 
that their dragoman had pitched their tents on the 
rocky site of what is supposed by tradition to be 
Naboth's vineyard. But here uncomfortable tidings 
awaited them. The escort promised by the Sheik 
of Jenin had failed to make its appearance, being 
engaged in checking a raid and revolt on the other 
side of the valley ; and a hostile tribe of Bedouins, 
with their long low black camel-hair tents, were 
camped in a wooded bottom, scarcely half a mile 
fi:om the halting-place of the travellers. A council 
of war was held with the Sheik of Jezreel, who 



THE PLAIN OF ESDRAELON. 



215 



agreed to allow twenty or thirty of the principal 
inhabitants (^moyenncmt a handsome ^bakshesh') 
to act as guards during the night. Every precau- 
tion was taken ; the tents pitched in a circle, the 
horses and mules picketed in the centre, and 
watch-fires were lit all round the encampment. 
The younger portion of the party, heedless of 
danger and wearied with the heat and the long 
day's ride, A^ery soon forgot their alarms in sleep. 
But their elders watched all night ; and well it was 
that they did so, for at one o'clock in the morning 
the alarm was given that the Bedouins were upon 
them. It was only a reconnoitring party, however ; 
and finding the Europeans on the alert, and the 
native guard valiantly patrolling and shouting out 
their national war-cries, they wheeled round and 
rapidly galloped back to their tents. Fearful, how- 
ever, that they might return in increased numbers, 
the travellers resolved to leave their insecure 
camping-ground as early as possible ; so that four 
o'clock of the following morning found them in 
the saddle on their way to Nazareth. Winding 
down a steep hill, they came upon the great plain 
of Esdraelon, which is more than twenty miles in 
extent, and capable of the finest cultivation ; but, 
under the sway of a powerful Bedouin sheik, it is 
reserved for the pasture-ground of his tribe ; and 
the few peasants, who, armed to the teeth, were 
ploughing little patches here and there, or tending 



2l6 



NAIN AND ENJDOB. 



small flocks of sheep, pay a heavy black-mail to 
the marauder for even this scant courtesy. Shunem, 
a miserable village, surrounded with a hedge of 
prickly-pear, was quickly passed ; but our travellers 
lingered at Nain, where a rude cross marks the 
spot on which, in ancient times, a church was 
erected by ^ the gate of the city,' where that won- 
derful miracle of love and tenderness was performed 
by our divine Lord. A fountain remains, where 
the Arab girls were filling their pitchers and 
poising them on their heads with their usual native 
grace. A burial-ground, still used by the Moslems, 
is shown to the right of the village ; and on this 
A^ery path must our Lord have met the sorrowful 
procession as it passed out of the gate. From 
Nain the travellers came to Endor, with its caves 
in the rocks, which seem as if they must be un- 
changed since the time of the witch's residence. 
Here a glorious view burst upon them, — Tabor, 
with its low round green top, and its base skirted 
with dwarf oak, ilexes, and arbutus. High above 
it, glistening in the sun, rose the conical peak of 
Hermon, ' white as snow,' with the Kishon dividing 
the valley beneath, and Carmel forming the barrier 
to the left ; while to the right lay the long low 
range of Bashan, ' beyond Jordan.' It is a mag- 
nificent panorama, and brings before one the 
imagery of the Prophets and of the Psalms more 
strikingly than almost any other part of Palestine. 



NAZARETH. 



217 



Quantities of storks were feeding on the green 
patches in the plain, while here and there eagles 
and hawks soared above their heads. But one of 
the ladies of the party was ill ; she had been suffe] - 
ing from fever ever since leaving Jerusalem ; so, in 
order to expedite her journey, the guides suggested 
that the travellers should take a short cut to Naza- 
reth, up a steep and somewhat rugged path, by the 
Mountain of Precipitation, while the baggage-mules 
went round the longer way by the plain. In an 
evil hour this proposal was acceded to, and the 
ascent begun. But very soon the road became im- 
passable for the horses ; in their efforts to scramble 
up the precipitous rocks the saddle-girths broke, 
and the travellers were compelled to dismount, 
greatly to the increased suffering of their invalid, 
who fainted repeatedly on the road, and caused them 
the gravest anxiety. It was with immense thank- 
fulness, therefore, that, on reaching the summit, 
after two hours of painful exertion, they perceived 
the white houses of modern Nazareth nestled in a 
gorge between two hills f and with still greater joy 
found themselves at the door of the Franciscan 
convent, where the usual hearty welcome awaited 

* An old liistorian, GeofFroy de Beaulieu, gives the following account 
of tlie entry of St, Louis into Nazaretli, wliicli took place, like that of 
our travellers, on the Vigil of the Annunciation. 

' The king, wearing a hair shirf, bent his steps towards Nazareth on 
the eve of the great feast. When he perceived the city from a dis- 
tance, he got off his horse, and having knelt for a few moments in 
prayer, he proceeded on foot to the Holy City, the " Nutriculam 



2i8 CHURCH OF THE ANNUNCIATION. 



them, and the Duke of M gave up his own 

rooms to afford more comfortable accommodation 
to the suffering lady. The illness became serious, 
and detained the party three weeks ; and during 
the whole of that time the thoughtful care of the 
monks, and especially of the kind old Spanish 
doctor and the venerable Padre Guardiano, ex- 
ceeded belief. The latter literally spent his days 
in devising little luxuries and alleviations for the 
invalid. The earliest asparagus, the first straw- 
berries, the brightest flowers, — even some scented 
soap and toilet-vinegar, which had been presented 
to him in bygone days by some enthusiastic lady- 
pilgrim, were ransacked from his stores for the 
benefit of the sufferer. "When she was well enough 
to be moved homewards, he arranged a litter for 
her to enable her to reach the sea-coast without 
fatigue. And this lady was neither of his owm 
country nor of his own creed ! Yet pilgrims have 
been found to say harsh and bitter things against 
this kind old man and his Franciscan brethren, to 
complain of and find fault with their hospitality, to 
grumble at the food, and to throw discredit gene- 
rally on their Order, thereby causing them grievous 
pain and disquiet. 

But to return to our travellers. It was the 4th of 

Domini," as St. Jerome calls it. He fasted that day on bread and 
water, tliougli lie liad liad a most fatiguing march. 

' Since tlie day wMcli witnessed tlie Incarnation of tlie Son of God, 
never tiad Nazaretli seen so earnest and hearty a devotion.' 



THE HOME OF THE HOLY FAMILY. 219 



April — the 2otli of March had fallen that year on 
Good Friday, so that the great festival of the In- 
carnation had been remitted to that day. From 
the earliest dawn, the beautiful Church of the An- 
nunciation, with its high altar, raised on a double 
flight of steps, and its beautiful shrine below, lead- 
ing to the house of the Blessed Virgin, had been 
thronged with kneeling figures. The women were 
unveiled — for Nazareth, like Bethlehem, is essen- 
tially a Christian town. They were all dressed in 
gay colours and holiday costume, with strings of 
gold coins round their necks or wound in their dark 
hair. They covered every inch of the steps leading 
to the sacred subterranean shrine, where a star 
marks the spot — ^ Hie Verbum caro factum est ; ' — 
a broken column suspended from the roof indicates 
the supposed place where the Blessed Virgin was 
kneeling when Gabriel — God's chosen messenger — 
appeared before her. 

Here were spoken those words in which she ac- 
cepted her sacred mission, and with it her share in 
the sufferings of the redemption : ' Ecce ancilla 
Domini ; fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.' Words 
as fruitful as the first ^ Fiat ' pronounced by the 
Creator, when, in His omnipotence, He made the 
world ; for, by her humble acquiescence in the 
Divine will, she consented to the conception, by 
the Holy Spirit, in her immaculate womb, of the 
Creator Himself made man. 



220 



NAZARETH. 



Here lived St. Joachim and St. Anne ; here St. 
Joseph ; here, in a word, was the home of the Holy 
Family. Here our Lord, after His return from 
Egypt, lived thirty years of that sacred hidden life ; 
here ' erat subditus illis,' living in the profoundest 
submission to his Virgin mother and his supposed 
father. And this place, where the great mystery of 
the Incarnation was accomplished, what was it but 
a poor humble home, in a quiet village of a land 
reduced to the condition of a petty province of the 
great Roman Empire ; nay, more, even in this land 
Nazareth had become a byword of contempt and 
reproach ! 

High mass was over, when the Padre Guardiano 
came to propose to our travellers to visit the other 
spots which make Nazareth a place of such deep 
and thrilling interest to every reader of Gospel 
history. Their first visit was to the synagogue, 
where our divine Lord, having read in the Book of 
the Prophet Isaias the words regarding Himself, 
sat down and expounded them to the people, who 
' wondered at the gracious words which proceeded 
from His mouth.' This synagogue is now con- 
verted into a Greek church, supposed to have been 
built by Tancred, who was Prince of Galilee during 
the temporary Christian occupation of the Holy 
Land. From the synagogue they passed on to 
St. Joseph's workshop, now a little chapel, rudely 
furnished, but where mass is daily said by one of 



NAZARETH. 



221 



tlie Franciscan fixthcns. From thence they walked 
to the table or rock popularly called ' Mensa Christi,' 
Avhere our Lord is said to have dined with His 
disciples botli before and after the Resurrection. 
It is on the snmmit of the city, and a tiny chapel 
has been erected close to the stone. The Padre 
Guardiano then led the way to the Fountain of the 
Madonna, which is situated at the eastern entrance 
of the town, and is the only spring of fresh good 
water existing in Nazareth. Here, by undisputed 
tradition, the Blessed Virgin daily came during those 
thirty years. Here, again, must her divine Son have 
constantly accompanied her. Groups of women 
now, as then, were filling their pitchers at the foun- 
tain ; looking like the ancient Bible pictures of 
our childhood, and dressed precisely as the Blessed 
Virgin is perpetually represented by the early 
masters — in red dresses and blue drapery, a white 
square cloth covering the head. In every walk, at 
every turn, in the streets, or on the hills, or in those 
flowery valleys, one seems to realise the presence 
of both the Mother and the Son. It was revealed 
to St. Bridget that the rough men of sequestered 
Nazareth, when they were sad, used to say, ^ Let us 
go and see Mary's Son ! ' So wonderful was the 
reflection of His beauty and holiness ; so exquisite 
His sympathy ; so keen, in Him, was every natural 
human feeling ; so wonderfol His thought for all ! 
In the beautiful words of a modern traveller. 



222 



MOUNT TABOE. 



' Nazareth was the nursery of One whose mission 
was to meet man and man's deepest needs on the 
platform of commonplace daily life ; ' and every step 
of that ' daily life ' becomes ennobled in the thought 
of Him who trod the same path. 

Coming home, our travellers visited the convent 
of ' Les Dames de Nazareth/ who have a large 
orphanage, admirably managed, not far from the 
Franciscan convent ; and among the children are 
many sufferers from the terrible Lebanon mas- 
sacres. The Superior pointed out one little girl, 
with dark and earnest eyes, whose mind had never 
recovered from the shock and horror of that scene. 
Her father had been murdered while endeavouring 
to save her ; and his brains had been dashed all 
over her face, which the poor child was continually 
rubbing, as if to wipe away the horrible remem- 
brance. These nuns were most kind in their offers 
of service to the sick lady at the hospice, and after- 
wards volunteered to receive her in their little home 
at Caiffa^ previous to her embarkation. A beautifal 
Benediction, sung by the sisters and orphans, closed 
a walk so full of absorbing interest. 

The following morning our pilgrims were early 
in the saddle, and again, under the guidance of the 
kind Padre Guardiano, were ascending the steep 
and beautifiil path leading to Mount Tabor, which 
is a ride of about two hours from Nazareth. The 
hill-sides were perfectly pink with the delicate 



ACIITLL AG A. 



223 



liiium, the cistus, and other spring-flowers. The 
shape of Tabor is that of a truncated cone, the base 
being thickly fringed Avith dwarf oak, ilex, and 
arbutus. The ascent is difficult and painfully rug- 
ged ; but the view from the summit repays all the 
toil. On one side is stretched the great plain of 
Esdraelon, with the little village of Deborah the 
Prophetess, which still bears her name, nestled 
under the great hill ; on the other, the village of 
Cana and the plain of Zabulon, the Mount of the 
Beatitudes and the beautiful lake of Tiberias glist- 
ening in the sun ; while beyond are the mountains 
of Hermon and Lebanon, and the cities of Safed, 
Bethulia, Naphthali, and Csesarea Philippi. The 
ruins of no less than three fine churches remain on 
the top of the mountain, one of which has lately 
been restored by the Greeks. But the Padre Guar- 
diano led our party to the one to which tradition 
points as the actual scene of the Transfiguration, 
and there celebrated the holy sacrifice. 

The mass over, the party breakfasted under the 
shadow of the ruins, on a smooth green sward, 
w^hich formed the flat summit of the mount, and 
then reluctantly proceeded to leave the sacred spot 
and descend the hill. Here the Padre Guardiano 
left them, to return to Nazareth ; while the pilgrims 
continued their road towards Tiberias, resolving to 
pay a visit on their Avay to Achill Aga, ' the Sheik 
of sheiks,' as he is called, whose black tents 



224 



ACHILL AGA. 



were stretched out on the plain at the base of the 
mountain. This mighty Bedouin chief virtually 
owns the whole of the surrounding country; and 
the Porte has found it both politic and necessary to 
make a treaty with him, so as to insure the safety 
of the travellers and of the dwellers in the plains. 
He is a remarkable man, with a frank and pleasing 
exterior, and has the reputation of being both gene- 
rous and brave. A kind of native durhar was 
being held when our travellers approached ; but 
Achill Aga rose with stately courtesy, and con- 
ducted the ladies to a divan raised at one end of 
his tent. On a signal from him, cushions, coffee, 
and other refi^eshments were noiselessly brought. 
In the mean time various other sheiks made their 
appearance, all of whom prostrated themselves on 
their arrival, before Achill Aga, and submissively 
kissed his hand. One of these chiefs, a man of a 
singularly cruel and forbidding aspect, was the 
sheik of the tribes in the plain of Esdraelon, and 
had 600 mounted horsemen day and night ready to 
fulfil his behests. He was at the head of a far more 
powerful people than Achill Aga ; but the moral 
influence of the latter compelled an outward show 
of submission. 

Coffee and pipes having been discussed, Achill 
Aga offered to show the ladies his harem ; and a 
black eunuch was summoned to escort them to a 
neighbouring tent, where a singularly handsome 



AGHILL AGA'S GAMP. 



225 



woman, beautifully dressed, aud with large pearls 
round her neek, was waiting to receive her guests. 
Having no interpreter, however, signs were obliged 
to take the i)lace of words with the ladies ; but it 
needed no explanation wdien a black attendant pro- 
duced a beautiful child, of two or three years old, 
just woke out of its sleep, at the sight of whom the 
mother's love shone out unmistakably from the 
bright eyes of the Bedouin lady. Achill Aga after- 
wards produced, with natural pride and pleasure, 
the watch and pistols given him by the Prince of 
Wales ; and then proceeded to show off the mares 
and foals which were pastured round the camp, 
some of which w^ere of priceless value. In the mean 
time a kind of guard of honour had been prepared 
for our travellers, who amused them by a variety of 
feats of horsemanship, throwing their long lances, 
and executing a species of Avar-dance, as they 
wheeled and doubled round and round the party, 
and occasionally rode races with the younger and 
best-mounted of them. The sun w^as still high in 
the heavens when the pilgrims found themselves at 
the base of the Mount of the Beatitudes, after cross- 
ing the plain of Zabulon — that plain so fatal as 
being the theatre of that last disastrous battle which 
decided the fate of the Christians, and ended the 
reign of the Crusaders in the Holy Land. The field 
below the hill is the one in which our Saviour is 
supposed to have walked and gathered the ears of 

Q 



226 



TWmiAS, 



corn on the Sabbath-day, to the scandal of the 
proud Pharisees. Ascending the Mount of the 
Beatitudes, a Carmehte priest, who was of the 
company, recited the fifth chapter of St. Matthew, 
sitting on the stones which mark tlie ruin of an 
ancient church built by the Crusaders on this sacred 
spot. The whole of the Sea of Galilee appeared 
stretched at their feet, forming, with the yiolet 
colour of its surrounding mountains, the most beau- 
tifal panorama possible. The hill on the opposite 
side of the plain was pointed out by the guides as 
the scene of the miracle of the Loaves and Fishes ; 
but the pilgrims, being anxious to reach Tiberias 
before nightfall, gave up the idea of ascending this 
also, and followed the winding track, which led 
down a steep and precipitous hill to the sea-shore. 

Tiberias is a fortified town ; but the walls and 
forts have been nearly destroyed by a succession 
of earthquakes, which have, however, spared the 
church. Rebuilt by Herod Antipas in honour of 
Tiberius Caesar, it was once a royal city of great 
importance, but is now reduced to a few miserable 
houses, inhabited by a race of fanatical Jews. Our 
party camped on the sandy shores of the lake be- 
yond the town, not far fi^om the thermal springs 
and baths supposed to have been built by the Em- 
peror Vespasian. The next morning early, one of 
the party, following a native guide through a cleft 
in the wall of the city, made her way rapidly through 



TIJJtJUlAS, 



227 



the deserted streets to tlic little cliiircli built iu 
honour of St. Peter, on the very spot Avhere our 
Di\ ine Lord is said to have given him tlie keys 
Avhicli were henceforth to bind or loose the whole 
Christian world. This site has been held in vene- 
ration ever since the second century ; but the actual 
church was built by Tancred at the time of the 
first Crusades. It is in the form of a ship ready for 
launching, and the waves of the Sea of Galilee beat 
upon its prow, but have never yet prevailed : fit 
emblem of the Bark of Peter, which all the powers 
of hell and of the world have conspired to attack, 
but failed to overthrow. There is a little hospice 
attached to the church, occupied by a Franciscan 
priest and a lay-brother, with a beautiful view from 
the terrace on the flat roof of the house. But their 
position is a painful one, surrounded by a singularly 
fanatical population, mainly consisting of Jews, 
who, in their long clressing-gowms, and with their 
corkscrew ringlets, scowled at the pilgrims as they 
passed dowm the streets. Two beautiful fair boys, 
with the faces of cherubs, served the mass ; but the 
congregation was scanty and poor, and fever had 
decimated the Christian residents. After mass the 
party again mounted to ride along the shores of the 
lake, which were fringed with oleanders, pink and 
white, in the fiiUest blossom, and with beautifid 
double and single hollyhocks of difierent shades. 
A party of Acliill Aga's men, armed to the teeth, 



228 



SHORES OF THE SEA OF GALILEE. 



accompanied our travellers, singing war-songs, and 
occasionally galloping furiously forward, as if to 
attack them, when, suddenly reining in their horses, 
which were brought down almost on their haunches, 
they would remain immovable, with their long 
lances crossed in a point on the ground, in token 
of respect and courtesy. An escort was very ne- 
cessary along these shores ; for hostile tribes were 
about, whose raid on the cattle of the unoffending 
fishermen Achill Aga's men were about to avenge, 
and their scouts were seen lurking here and there 
among the ruins. Passing by Magdala, a small 
village with nothing remarkable about it, saA^e the 
ruins of an ancient watch-tower, our party came, 
after an hour's ride, to Bethsaida. A ruined mill 
alone marks the spot so full of interest as the birth- 
place of St. Peter, St. Andrew, and St. Philip, and 
as the spot where St. James and St. John were 
called by the Saviour, while ' mending their nets,' 
to their high place in the Apostolic College. 

Another half-hour brought them to Capernaum, 
that city so full of reminiscences of the daily life of 
our Divine Lord during His three years' ministry ; 
the scene of so many miracles, and yet that city 
the eyes of whose people were ' blinded that they 
saw not,' and on which, as on Bethsaida and Cho- 
razin, the woe was emphatically pronounced by the 
Saviour- — that woe so literally fulfilled ; for not one 
stone remains upon the other, and it has been ^ more 



CIIORAZIN AND THE LAKE. 



229 



tolerable for Tyre iim\ Sidoii ' tliaii for them. A 
little farther on, tliey came to the place where the 
Jordan empties itself into the lake. Close by is a 
heap of stones, which mark the site of Cliorazin, of 
Avhich all that can be said was said by the guide to 
our travellers : ' Una volta era qui ! ' Above their 
heads, perched on the side of the mountain, was 
Safed, the city ' set on a hill,' which ' could not be 
hid.' Every foot of this ground is sacred to the eye 
of faith, every mountain and stone teems with its 
sacred imagery. Returning to Tiberias, our tra- 
vellers felt that their pilgrimage would be incom- 
plete without going on the lake, and so hired a 
clumsy boat, one of the only two existing, which 
looked primitive enough to have been there since 
our Saviour's time, and for which the Jewish pro- 
prietor demanded an exorbitant price. The day 
was lovely, the heat intense. Nothing could equal 
the stillness of the scene or the desolation of the 
shores ; but the lake is proverbially treacherous. 
Only two days before, a storm had suddenly over- 
taken a similar party, who, in this unmanageable 
tub, were saved Avith difficulty. A few fishes were 
caught by the boatmen as they lazily rowed towards 
the south of the lake, past the ruins of the town of 
Tarichea and the land of the Gadarenes to the 
mouth of the Jordan on the opposite side ; and 
then back again to the town of Tiberias, where the 
tents were already folded on the baggage-mules, in 



230 



ROAD TO CAN A. 



readiness for tlie return towards Nazareth. The 
temptation to linger by the lake had overcome the 
usual prudence of our travellers, and mid-day found 
them only half-way to Nazareth , exposed to a burn- 
ing sun, and with a scanty supply of water to 
quench their thirst. One of the younger ones, with 
less endurance than the rest, at last threw himself 
off his horse, declaring his inability to go on any 
farther. But he was compelled to remount, and 
the wdiole party galloped as quickly as the road 
would allow till they reached Cana, and with it the 
only spring of good water to be found between 
Tiberias and Nazareth. A beautiful broken sar- 
cophagus lies by the fountain, where some cows 
w^ere drinking, whom the weary cavalcade quickly 
displaced. Their thirst at last quenched, they 
proceeded to visit the house, or rather court, which 
was the scene of the first miracle — a building re- 
cently purchased by the Marquise de . A 

church was formerly erected on this spot, of which 
a few broken arches only remain ; but some large 
water-jars v^ere lying in the court, exactly of the 
shape and size represented by the painters, which 
completed the picture or ' composition of place,' in 
the minds of the pilgrims. From Cana, a beautiful 
ride through a wood of dwarf oak, arbutus, and 
myrtle, leads to Saffurieh, the ancient Seforis, where 
are the remains of a fine old Eoman castle, and 
a large decorated church dedicated to St. Anne, 



NAZARETH. 



the motlier of tlic r)lcs8cd Virgin, whose native 
place was Seforis. A steep and nigged road con- 
ducts the traveller from Cana to Nazareth, winding 
up a narrow gorge, Avhere the horses can barely 
keep their footing on the pointed sloping slabs ; 
but the view from the top, looking down on Na- 
zareth and the plain on the one side, and Cana and 
Seforis on the other, is unequalled even in that 
land of beautiful and sacred memories. One more 
quiet Sunday did our travellers spend in that spot 
so associated with our Blessed Lord's boyhood and 
youth ; and then the time came for them to leave 
their kind hosts and pursue their journey to Carmel. 

After early Mass, one of the travellers crossed 
the court and entered the convent-parlour, where 
she was to take leave of the Padre Guardiano. She 
found him carefully packing for her the ^ Sacro 
Bambino,' that waxen image of our Lord's infancy, 
which, manufactured annually for the Grotto of the 
Nativity, remains at Bethlehem during the whole 
of the solemn octave in that sacred shrine, and 
then, with the seal of its authenticity attached, is 
sent to Nazareth, and from thence, year by year, 
forwarded to churches in far-off lands. Gratefully 
did she accept it for a church very dear to her 
heart in her own land, the beautiful church of the 
Oblates of St. Charles. And then she stood lis- 
tening to his few parting Avords of kindness and 
loving counsel. 



232 DEATH OF THE PADRE GUABDIANO, 

' I have nothing of value to give you, my child/ 
said the old man in conclusion ; ' nothing but this, 
the Breviary given me by the Bishop who ordained 
me in the Tyrol many years ago. See ! it has the 
picture in it of my patron saint, St. Wenceslaus, 
and of our Franciscan brethren who were martyred 
in Japan. Take the book and read it daily, in 
remembrance of me.' 

Sorrowfully the lady received his parting gift and 
blessing, and mounting, rode away. As she reached 
the brow of the hill she looked back, and still saw 
the brown figure of the kind old monk standing 
watching her from the convent-door. It was the 
last time she was to see him on earth. 

A few months later, a malignant fever which 
broke out at Tiberias carried off the Franciscan 
priest who served the little church of St. Peter 
there. The Padre Guardiano instantly set off to 
replace him till a successor could be appointed. 
But the same poisonous air rapidly filled his veins ; 
he fell sick the following day, and in less than 
twenty-four hours the end came. He died alone and 
untendecl, save by a poor Greek priest, who came 
to administer to him the last rites of the Church. 
Yet surely other ministries waited, unseen, around 
that dying bed ; and, the dark river past, those 
words must have echoed in his ears : ^ Euge, serve 
hone et fidelis ; quia in pauca fuisti fidelis, supra 
multa te constituam ; intra in gaudium Domini tui! 



f 



CAUMEL. 



233 



CHAPTER IX. 

CARMEL AND BEYROUT. 

Beautiful Carmel ! No one who has spent three 
or four months in traversing the rugged and arid 
tracks Avhich characterise Syrian travel can fail to 
be struck with the wonderful fertility and beauty 
of the park-like ground to which you ascend after 
leaving the marshy swamps of the Kishon, on the 
road from Nazareth to ^ Mohrakah/ the undoubted 
site of the sacrifice of Elias. The so-called ^ Forest ' 
of Carmel scarcely deserves its name in the English 
sense, but is more like a glade in our forest scenery, 
reminding one also of the Tyrol ; with dwarf oak, 
bay, carouba, arbutus, and a multitude of flowering 
and aromatic shrubs ; the sweet-scented olive, with 
its pale-yellow clusters ; the mastic, vdth its pen- 
dent white bell-shaped blossoms, and the delicate 
purple acacia ; while cistus, white and lilac, in full 
flower, colour the ground for miles. All the similes 
of the Boolv of Canticles find their natural explana- 
tion here : ' My head is like Carmel ; ' ^ How beau- 
tiful art thou, and how comely ! ' 

Scrambling through this thicket of shrubs, our 



234 SCmJE OF THE SACRIFICE OF ELIAS. 



travellers arrived at last at a magnificent amphi- 
theatre, in the centre of which was a fountain, and 
by its side a beautiful Turkey oak, under the shade 
of which they agreed to rest during the burning 
heat of noonday. The hewn stoues at their feet 
marked the site of the altar which Elias rebuilt : 
from this very fountain must the water have been 
drawn which filled the trench before the sacrifice 
was offered — that sacrifice which, in its accomplish- 
ment, was to vindicate the majesty of God in the 
sight of His chosen people. Here again, after the 
atonement had been made by the death of the 
idolatrous priests by the river Kishon, the welcome 
rain was obtained in answer to the prophet's prayer. 
The view on all sides is grand in the extreme, 
embracing the whole of Central Palestine, with the 
Plain of Esdraelon, and Tabor, and the ' Cities of 
the Plain,' Nain and Shunem, Megiddo and Jezreel. 
From the place of sacrifice the path leads through 
the native village of Espya to a high ridge covered 
with flowers and aromatic shrubs ; and thence a 
ride of seven or eight hours through lovely scenery 
brings you to the Convent of Mount Carmel, built 
on a promontory overlooking the sea, with the 
little town of Caiffa nestling at its feet. Our tra- 
vellers, although with a Carmelite Friar for their 
guide, missed the right track, and found them- 
selves, at ten o'clock at night, in a deep ravine, 
from whence apparently there was no exit except 



CONVENT OF MOUNT CARMEL, 



235 



by tlio roiul through Avliicli they had come. ]>ut a 
Becloiiin sliepherd took pity on their exliausted 
condition, and showed them a path which led tliem 
at hist to the convent gates, after more than twelve 
hours in the saddle. There the usual hospitable 
welcome awaited them, though no longer from 
their much-loved Franciscan Fathers. Carmel is 
the head-quarters of the Discalced Carmelites, who 
received the rules of their Order from Albert, the 
holy Patriarch of Jerusalem, in the year 1205. 
The convent is a very spacious building, with a 
fine domed chapel ; and the whole was built fi^om 
the alms collected by a single monk, who Adsited 
Europe for that purpose. 

Early the following morning, the solemn mass 
for the ' Commemoration of the Blessed Virgin on 
Mount Carmel' Avas said for the pilgrims in the 
beautifid church built over the cavern which tradi- 
tion points out as the residence of the prophet Elias. 
A subterranean chapel occupies this spot, above 
which a double flight of steps leads uj) to the high 
altar. After mass, one of the Carmelite fathers 
volunteered to conduct their guests to the ' School 
of the Prophets,' which is a cave below the convent 
garden, overlooking the sea, and to which the 
descent is steep and difficult. Following the zigzag 
path to the left is the chapel of St. Simon Stock, 
an Englishman, who, in the thirteenth century, 
spent six years on Mount Carmel, leading an aus- 



236 



CHAPEL OF ST. SIMON STOCK, 



tere life of penance and of prayer. His eminent 
piety caused him to be elected general of his 
Order ; soon after which he instituted the Confra- 
ternity of the Scapular of the Blessed Virgin, a 
devotion as to which he was instructed in a vision 
by the Mother of God herself His chapel is now 
being beautifully restored by an English lady, 
whose little girl had a singular devotion to the 
spot. The intense heat prevented our travellers 
from continuing their explorations towards the 
wine-presses, which still remain on the slopes of 
Carmel, sole vestiges of its ancient fertility ; for no 
vineyards now clothe those arid hills. Sadly and 
literally is the prophecy fulfilled : ' He shall not 
tread out wine in the press that was wont to tread 
it out. Gladness and joy shall be taken away from 
Carmel, and there shall be no rejoicing or shouting 
in the vineyards.' 

Eeturning to the convent, they ascended to the 
roof of the dome, from whence a magnificent view 
w^as obtained on all sides ; and then re-entering the 
church, where a beautiful image of the Mother of 
God was exposed, one of the party kneeling at the 
high altar received the scapular from the hands of 
the venerable Superior. ^ Ecce signum salutis ; 
salus in pericidis, foedus pacis et pacti sempiterni ! ' 
With the words of the exhortation still sounding 
in her ears and the prayer in her heart, ' Constan- 
tiam bene perseverandi,' the English traveller bid 



CAIFFA. ACRE, 



237 



adieu Avitli the rest of her ])arty to tlieir kind enter- 
tainers, and descended the steep hill leading to 
Caifta. It is a dirty straggling little town, with 
nothing to recommend it except the Convent of 
the Dames de Nazareth and the hospitable house 
of the English Consul, himself a man of great 
ability and talent, though for the moment buried 
in this quiet spot. From Caiffa our travellers gal- 
loped along the beautiful smooth sands towards 
Acre. The sea-shore is covered with shells, espe- 
cially the murex, a beautiful violet-tinted donax, 
and above all the lovely purple haliotis, the ' ian- 
tliina fragilis,' supposed to have been used for the 
ancient Tyrian dye, which some of the party could 
not resist dismounting to pick up. Presently they 
came to ' that ancient river, the river Kishon,' 
which, swollen by a flood, compelled them to cross 
it m boats, while their horses swam alongside. A 
ride of two hours more, and the fording of the 
' Belus,' now a shallow stream, brought them to 
the gates of Acre. Here, again, they found their 
old Franciscan fi-iends ; and leaving their horses at 
the convent gates, they started to inspect the forti- 
fications, under the guidance of one of the Fathers, 
and afterwards visited the church and palace of the 
Knights of St. John, sole remains of the good old 
times of the Crusaders, now in the hands of the 
Greek Catholics. The once magnificent cathedral 
is in ruins ; but a portion of it has been restored. 



238 



THE LADDER OF TYRE. 



and is used by tlie Franciscans as their church. 
Our travellers lingered so long in this interesting 
spot that the sun had set before they thought of 
remounting, and the guards at the gate demurred 
at letting them out of the city. But a ' bakshesh ' 
from the dragoman opened the way, and the party 
galloped rapidly on, past a beautiful villa, with 
groups of palm-trees, interspersed with orange, 
lemon, and pomegranate gardens, towards their 
tenting-ground, which they reached by moonlight 
at ten o'clock. The muleteers had, however, dis- 
obeyed their orders, in order to save themselves 
trouble — a common trick in the East — and had 
pitched the tents in a swampy ground, which 
seemed to breathe nothing but malaria and fever. 
But it was too late to change ; so, hastily dining, 
our travellers threw themselves on their little 
camp-beds, resolving to start by peep of day the 
following morning ; and thus, if possible, to avoid 
the evil consequences of the obstinacy of their Arab 
attendants. Daybreak accordingly found them in 
the saddle ; and passing very sorrowfully the boun- 
dary between Palestine and Syria, they commenced 
the steep and perilous ascent over the magnificent 
cliffs which bear the name of the ' Ladder of Tyre.' 
No parapet protects the path on the shelving rock ; 
and on several occasions the mules, with their 
loads, seemed on the point of slipping three hun- 
dred feet down into the sea. The cliffs were covered 



TYUE. 



239 



Avitli wild pinks, red iiiid white, and with n l)caiitiful 
bright hiveuder-coloiired immortelle, of whieli the 
Bedouins gathered great bunches to decorate their 
horses. The travellers rested for luncheon amid 
tlie ruins of an old Phoenician city, called in the 
Syrian tongue ' Iskanderyeh.' It had the remains 
of a fine aqueduct and of a tesselated pavement 
still in perfect preservation. From this halting- 
place a gallop along a belt of smooth sand brought 
them to the base of a fresh cliff called the Ras el 
Abiad, or ^ White Head ; ' a still more dangerous 
and precipitous ascent than the last, but from, 
whence the most beautiful panoramic view was 
obtained of Tyre and Sidon and the curved line of 
the sandy shores, on which rippled the blue sea ; 
while inland, above the fertile plain, rose the mag- 
nificent range of violet-coloured mountains, snowy 
Hermon towering, as usual, above the whole. De- 
scending the ^ White Head,' and passing by a 
beautiful ruined aqueduct covered with maiden-hair 
fern, and other creepers, a couple of hours' ride 
brought them into the dirty and straggling streets 
of Tyre. The Jesuits have established a large 
school in the town, which has offshoots in the sur- 
rounding villages ; and one of the Fathers kindly 
volunteered to be the cicerone of the travellers to 
the cathedral, once the finest church in Syria, said 
to have been built by the Empress Helena. It is 
in the Byzantine style, but only the western wall 



TYRE. 



and a few buttresses remain to show its size and 
ancient grandeur. Eusebius wrote the consecration 
sermon for the opening of this church. Pauhnus 
and William of Tyre sat in its episcopal chair. 
Here Origen was buried, and the Emperor Fre- 
derick Barbarossa. But its glories are indeed de- 
parted. Filthy Moslem huts are crowded into its 
ruined aisles ; broken columns and fragments of 
porphyry and granite are strewed on all sides. 
This cathedral is but a type of everything in this 
once magnificent seaport. All the ancient prophe- 
cies of her desolation are literally fulfilled : ' What 
city is like Tyre, which is become silent in the 
midst of the sea ? ' ^ They shall lay thy stones and 
thy timber in the midst of the water.' ' The waters 
have covered her. She is a place for fishermen to 
spread their nets.' 

Our party pitched their tents outside the town 
on the bright sandy shore, close to the fountain 

called Hiram's Well ; and the kind Father 

sat drinking coffee with them at the open tent-door, 
talking of his mission and its success, when sud- 
denly a wonderful storm burst on the beautiful 
mountains which stretched beyond the desolate 
Phoenician plain before them, lighting up snowy 
Hermon with the most vivid and lurid brightness, 
and throwing purple and pink and violet tints on 
the mounds and villages in the middle distance, 
the brilliancy of which one of the travellers in vain 



8AREPTA AND SIDON. 



241 



cndeavoiiivd to render on her drawing-paper. The 
storm snbsiding, they made an expedition to Hi- 
ram's tomb, a great sarcophagus erected on a 
pedestal of square stone about four or five miles 
from the city, with a deep well on one side and 
the ruins of a once enclosed garden on the other, 
full of wild-orange and pomegranate trees in full 
blossom. 

The following morning by four o'clock the party 
left the beautiful but desolate city, and crossing the 
Leontes, struck upwards from the seashore to the 
old town of Sarepta, the scene of the miracle of 
the widow's cruse. Not a house remains on the 
original site, for the modern village has migrated 
up the hill. Only a few square stones are left, and 
the ruins of an early Christian chapel erected where 
our divine Lord is said to have rested Avhen travel- 
ling through the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. Here 
the storm, which had long been gathering in the 
mountains, burst with full force upon our travel- 
lers ; but shelter being out of the question, they 
were compelled to brave it ; and after fording one 
or two small rivers, fringed with pink oleanders in 
full flower, arrived within sight of the beautiful 
orange and citron groves which surround Saida, the 
ancient Sidon. It is situated, like Tyre, on a pro- 
jecting isthmus, with a ledge of rocks and broken 
columns running out into the sea, but is a great 
contrast in the wonderful fertility and culture of its 

R 



242 



SAID A. 



environs. Our dripping travellers were most cour- 
teously received by the French Consul, who gave 
up the rooms of his wife and daughter to the ladies ; 
while the gentlemen were equally hospitably lodged 
at the Franciscan convent, which forms the op- 
posite side of the square court-yard. This shelter 
was the more welcome, as the baggage mules having 
floundered in the Nahr-ez-Zaherany, or ^ Flowery 
River,' with the tents and lu2:o;ao!:e, their beds and 
everything else were soaked through and through. 

Here they first came upon the traces of that 
horrible massacre w^hich three or four years ago 
filled the hearts of all Eurojje with horror. Up- 
wards of eighteen hundred Christians perished in 
Saida in the month of June 1860, in that outburst 
of Mohanamedan and Druse fury, among whom were 
above one hundred and twenty priests and reli- 
gious of various orders, both men and women. The 
cruelties and insults wreaked on the victims rival 
the scenes of the Indian mutiny ; and again, there 
was the same misplaced confidence in the native 
honour. The venerable Jesuit Fathers, P. Rousseau 
and P. Pouniere, at the risk of their lives, deter- 
mined to bury the bodies of the victims assassinated 
outside the gates, especially that of the Vicar-Ge- 
neral ; and of the Bishop, Monsignor Boutros, whose 
body, cut in half-a-dozen pieces and part of it 
already devoured by dogs, was discovered with those 
of twelve other priests and several laymen within 



SAIDA. 



243 



ten iniiuites' Avalk of the town. The horrible stench 
and the dreadfnl state of niutikition of the bodies 
rendered tliis heroic service one of real martyrdom.* 

The Sisters of St. J oseph have a large school and 
orphanage adjoining the Franciscan convent ; but 
they ^ hold their lives in their hands/ as all must do 
Avho labour in this land, and who have learned by 
bitter experience the treachery and fanaticism by 
which they are surrounded, and which it requires 
but a spark to kindle anew. After early mass the 
following morning in the chapel of the convent, the 
French Consul took his guests to visit the port, 
which Avas originally a very spacious one, and is 
still strewed with fragments of porphyry columns 
and hewn granite stones, which must have formed 
portions of the quays. A fine ruined tower and a 
bridge of several arches connects the northern end 
of the city with the port. On these rocks must St. 
Paul have landed ; and here too may our blessed 
Lord have trod, for the only way fi-om Sidon to 
Tyre is along this shore. 

The day was fine and bright when our travellers, 
taking leave of their kind hosts, and purchasing 
from the clamorous vendors some of the beautiful 
gold coins of Philip of Macedon and of Alexander, 
recently discovered in one of the gardens of the 

* Tlie Pere R. P. Rousseau and the Sister Rosa, Superior of tlie 
Sisters of St. Joseph, subsequently sank from typhus caught in tending 
the wounds of the survivors among the Christians. 



CB088im THE DAFOUB. 



consulate, rode through the lovely Saida orange 
and acacia groves loaded with fruit and flowers, on 
the path leading to Beyrout. The first river was 
crossed without difficulty, and a turn in the road 
brought them to a village where a Mohammedan 
wely or chapel is erected to mark the spot where 
the prophet Jonah is said to have been cast on the 
shore out of the belly of the whale. Sycamore, fig, 
date, palm, mulberry, and olive trees gave a plea- 
sant shade for the noonday halt. But another 
river had to be forded, the Dafour, about which the 
guides had been whispering in evident anxiety, 
owing to the recent heavy rains. At Saida a re- 
port was current that some travellers had been 
drowned in it the day before ; and on arriving at 
its swollen and flooded banks the leader of the 
party thought with dismay of the evident risk to 
which her children would be exposed. There was, 
however, no going back, and no boat could be ob- 
tained, as at the Kishon ; so plunging boldly in, 
with the strongest and most expert swimmers among 
the escort leading the horses of the younger ones, 
the river was entered and safely crossed. Lighting 
a fire on the seashore to dry their dripping habits, 
the party watched with anxiety the passage of their 
baggage. But it was accomplished in safety with 
one exception ; a mule loaded with saddle-bags was 
carried away by the violence of the current and 
drowned, while the contents of his pack, though 



BEY ROUT. 



245 



iveovered, Avere iri'ctrievably ruined. Thankful, 
howo\'or, for no worse mischance, our ti'avellers 
remounted and trotted on towards Beyrout, the 
api)roach to which is perfectly beautiful, through 
a succession of stone pine-woods, with the glorious 
Lebanon mountains on the right, the lower spurs 
of which were covered with villas and gardens and 
woods, a picturesque convent crowning each tiny 
eminence, and the Avhole combining every thing 
that is most lovely in nature and in art. It re- 
minds one of the view of Fiesole from San Miniato, 
only that of Beyrout is for more rich and beautiful. 
The French, during their two years' occupation, 
constructed a fine carriage-road from Beyrout to 
Damascus — the only one in Syria — and two car- 
riages, which look as if they had come out of the 
Ark, have been imported in consequence. One of 
these nondescript vehicles met our travellers near 
the entrance of the town, and here a ludicrous 
accident was the result. Their horses had never 
before seen a carriage of any description. Such a 
thing is unknown in Palestine. The consequence 
was, that no persuasion could induce their steeds to 
pass or go near this terrible machine ; and one of 
the party, determined to conquer what he consi- 
dered the obstinacy of his beast, was violently 
thrown fi^om the saddle. It was fortunate that 
evening had closed in before arriving at the hotel 
to Avhich (for the first time in Syria) they were 



246 



BEYROUT. 



bound ; for, with their clothes deeply stained with 
the yellow mud of the Dafour and torn into shreds 
by the prickly-pear hedges, and their hats equally 
shapeless from the storms of Saida, our travellers 
presented the most sorry and ludicrous appearance 
possible. 

The following morning found two of the party 
in the narrow street leading by a picturesque foun- 
tain to the Franciscan convent ; but though it was 
only half-|)ast six the last mass was over. There 
were but two Fathers belonging to this mission, to 
which no hospice for pilgrims is attached ; but they 
courteously received the ladies in a large room 
hung with portraits of Franciscan martyrs, and the 
curious genealogical tree of their order, and offered 
them coffee and breakfast. The ladies, however, 
were anxious for a mass, and so asked for a guide 
to show them the way to the Jesuit church, which 
was instantly accorded to them. It is in the upper 
part of the town, near the eastern gate ; and the 
travellers found themselves in a building crowded to 
excess, with a large school of boys at one end, and a 
multitude of Syrian women, in their white abbas, 
squatted behind a screen at the other. The seven 
o'clock mass was over, but another was beginning ; 
and thankfully did one of the pair avail herself of 
the offer of one of the elder boys to leave the 
crowded Arab women's quarter for a place nearer 
the altar, and close to a beautiful picture of the 



SISTERS OF CHARITY, 



247 



^ Pieta.' After mass they were shown the schools, 
which contain npwards of five hnmlrcd boys, most 
of them the sole snrvivors of their families fi-om the 
Lebanon massacres. They were preparing for a 
holiday and an expedition into the mountains, Avith 

their kind Superior, the Pere G , a name once 

so well known in the Paris and London world, and 
now as eminent for his labours of love among the 
little flock intrusted to him by the Great Shepherd. 

After breakfast our travellers visited the immense 
establishment of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent 
de Paul, Avhich is the glory and pride of Beyrout. 
Entering by a gateway, on which the simple word 
* Caritas ' is inscribed, you come into a square court, 
round which are built eight schools for different 
classes of girls, including one for the training of 
mistresses, and a beautiful chapel, which, however, 
the increasing number of their pensionnaires is 
obliging them to enlarge. The education given by 
the Sisters is admirable in every respect. Leading 
out of the paiioir is a garden full of beautiful 
flowers, and at one end is the hospital and dispen- 
sary, crowded at all hours by the native sick. Be- 
yond this garden is another large square, forming, 
in fact, a separate establishment, and containing 
between eight and nine hundred orphans, made 
such by the late massacres. Nothing can be more 
beautifully managed than this vast establishment 
by these noble and devoted women. Well may the 



248 



SISTERS OF CHARITY. 



Sisters of Charity be called, by a noted ecclesiastic, 
^ the salt of the earth.' If in Europe their loving 
step is every where hailed with thankfulness and 
joy, in the East they are the pioneers of civilisation, 
the evangelisers of races, the regenerators of the 
whole country. Held in affectionate veneration 
alike by Arab and Moslem, Druse and Maronite, to 
Avhose physical wants and sufferings they are ever 
ministering without distinction of creed, they alone 
escaped in the hour of fanatical fury. But it is 
especially in the training of children that they are 
doing a work for God in those lands, which must 
be seen in order to be realised. One of the prettiest 
sif^hts in the world mirfit be seen in the lar2!:e 
parloir at Beyrout on a Sunday. The Sisters have 
now been established there for fifteen or sixteen 
years, and can see the fi'uit of their work. On that 
day a crowd of young mothers, who have each and 
all been educated by the Sisters, come in from the 
mountains and villages round to bring their chil- 
dren to the Venerable Soeur Superieure Gelas, and 
to take part again in the beautiful service which 
their girlhood has been taught to love. Her loving 
motherly arms were clasped round many a bright 
and smiling face, while the little ones nestled at 
her feet, all anxious to win from her a kiss or a 
smile, or else playing gently with the black rosary 
by her side. She has established, in addition to all 
her other works, an infant nursery in the hills, 



siisTEJiS OF (iiAinrv. 



249 



wluM'o slU'll of tlie oi'pliaiis as arc too youn^ii,- or too 
sickly to tlirive in tlic confiucd utmosplierc of tlie 
town are reared and nursed by peasant women, 
under tlie Sisters' direction. From time to time 
she visits these her babies, riding on her white 
donkey, loved and respected by every one she meets. 
In the hospital, one of our travellers spoke to a 
Scotch engineer who had been badly scalded in 
one of the Pasha's steamers. He said, almost with 
tears, ' What should I have done without this place 
to come to ? I have suffered a great deal, it is 
true ; but I have only got to turn in my bed for one 
of those kind gentle faces to come up and ask me 
whether I do not want something.' 

But their Orphanage is now in great straits. 
When the news of the terrible massacre reached 
Europe, and the statistics mounted up to between 
sixteen and seventeen thousand victims, the heart 
of every one was opened to alleviate the misery, 
and large sums poured in to the Sisters for the 
support of the hundreds of helpless orphans whom 
they had rescued. But now the excitement has 
passed away, and with it the interest in this great 
Avork. People forget so soon sorrows in which they 
have no personal share. Yet the children are still 
there, needing, equally now as then, food and 
clothing and shelter. No other homes are open to 
receive them, for are they not fatherless and 
motherless ? It will still be some years before they 



250 



DEIR-EL-KAHMAE. 



can leave the shelter of the Sisters' home, and be 
old enough to earn their own livelihood. And in 
the meantime what are the Sisters to do ? How 
are these poor little ones to be clothed and fed? 
May the hearts of the Catholics of Europe, but 
especially of England, be moved to send fresh help 
to these suffering children, so that the noble work 
of these self-denying women may be fully and fairly 
accomplished ! * 

The sun was scarcely risen the following morning 
when two of our travellers started on an expedition 
to visit the interesting village of Deir-el-Kahmar. 
Their road lay through the pine-forest outside the 
town, and through hedges of prickly-pear, pome- 
granates, and olives, till it began to wind up the 
steep mountain-path, or rather staircase, formed of 
smooth slabs, which leads to the picturesque con- 
vent of Ain-Braba. From thence they had the 
most glorious view of Beyrout, with its white houses 
and golden sands, and the bright blue sea beyond 
glistening in the rising sun, while date-palms and 
magnificent stone-pines formed the foreground of 
the picture. Oleanders blossomed by every rushing 
stream, and the ground was carpeted with pink 
linum, cyclamen, and other spring flowers. As- 
cending still higher, they came on a wayside khan, 

* Subscriptions for this object will be gladly received by Lady 
Herbert, 38 Chesbam Place, London, or by tbe Sister Superior of the 
Sisters of Charity, Carlisle Place, Westminster. 



DFJli-KL-KAUMAU. 



251 



looking down on a magnificent valley, Avitli a rapid 
river at the bottom, over wliieli a picturesque 
bridge^ was throAvn, to which they cautiously de- 
scended by a path which Avas bad and perilous even 
for Syrian roads. Then reascending on the oppo- 
site side, tln'ough an underwood of ilex, arbutus, 
myrtle, and cypress, a sharp tm^n in the road 
brought them within sight of the mountain village 
they had come to visit, called Deir-el-Kahmar, or 
'Mountain of the Moon,' from the large figure of 
the Blessed Virgin standing on the moon, carved 
on the outside of the convent-wall. At the head 
of tlie valley, projecting boldly against the spur of 
the mountain, is Beteddin, the beautiful palace of 
the Emirs of the Lebanon. 

Their tents being pitched in an orchard at the 
entrance of the town, the travellers started to 
deliver their letters of introduction to the Superior 
of the Jesuit Mission, the Pere B., wdiom they soon 
found, encouraging a troop of young Christian 
volunteers, who Avere drilling on the plain outside 
the town under the instruction of an old French 
sergeant. The Pere B. took the English ladies to 
his ruined convent, part of which has been lately 
rebuilt, together with the little church and a rude 
school, w^here two Sisters of Charity were occupied 
in giving a Avorking lesson to about fifty native 
children. Terrible w^as the account given by him 
of the horrors of the massacre in 1860, during 



252 



BEIR-EL-KAHMAB,. 



which he escaped as by a miracle."^ Trusting in 
the promises of the Turks, and the still more 
specious assurances of the Druses, the Christians 
refused to listen to his earnest words of warning. 
"When the massacre began, on the 20th of June, 
1,500 of the Christians, with their valuables, took 
refuge in the governor's house, believing in his 
solemn assurance of safety and protection. But an 
hour or two later the Druses were admitted by the 
Turkish soldiers themselves into the seraglio, and 
the work of massacre began. 

The Pere B. took our travellers to the courtyard 
where this horrible butchery was effected. Not 
content with murder, they tortured and mutilated 
their victims, especially the women and children, 
cutting off their fingers and toes one by one ; and 
when some clasped their crucifixes in their agony, 
blasphemous taunts were added to the rest. ' Call 
now on your God, and see if He will come and 
help you ! ' Among the victims was M. Bischarra 
Soussa, one of the richest inhabitants of the place, 
and an intimate friend of the governor's. He was 
one of the earliest to take refuge in his house at 
the first rumour of danger, and refused to follow 
the counsel of the priest to escape to Beyrout, 
saying, ' that with the fi^iendship of the governor he 



* His descriptions were confirmed in all points by otlier eye-wit- 
nesses, as well as by a pampblet entitled, 'Histoire des Massacres de 
Syrie en I860,' par Francois Lenormant. 



DEIR-EL-KA HMA R. 



253 



Avas perfectly safe.' He liad just married a l)eau- 
tifiil young wife of twenty-one, who liad been 
educated at the school of the Sisters of Charity, 
and spoke French and several other languages 
fluently. When the rest of the Christians had 
been butchered, Bischarra Sonssa and his wife ^vere 
summoned by the governor to descend into the 
court. In an instant the whole peril of their posi- 
tion burst upon them. The imhappy man threw 
himself at the feet of the governor, and implored 
him to spare his life and that of his wife. The 
governor coolly turned from him to a Druse stand- 
ing by, and said, ' Despatch him.' Bischarra then 
offered everything he had in the Avorld in exchange 
for his life. They pretended to accept the condi- 
tions, and made him sign a deed conveying to 
them his Avhole fortune. This done, the assassins 
formed a circle round him, and having garotted 
and thrown him naked on the floor, they strewed 
gunpowder over him, to which they set fire. They 
then endeavoured to skin him alive ; but finding 
the operation too slow, dismembered him by de- 
grees ; and his wife was forced to be present during 
the whole of this horrible scene. From the go- 
vernor's house the murderers proceeded to the con- 
vent and church, where a small number of Christians 
had taken refuge. In this case they were given 
the alternative of apostasy or death. They all 
chose the latter. Twenty priests, kneeling at the 



254 



DEIR-EL-KAHMAB. 



foot of the altar with theh^ arms extended in the 
form of a cross, received the pahii of martyrdom, 
the Druses in the meanwhile ringing the clmrch- 
bells in derision, and calling out to the people to 
^come to the mass of their priests.' The Superior 
Avas reserved for more terrible torments. Stripped 
naked, he was first scalped, ' to renew the tonsure,' 
they said ; then with long knives they carved the 
patterns of his sacerdotal vestments on his back 
and chest, and finally beheaded him. 

More than two thousand victims perished on 
that awful day. When, a few weeks later, the 
French troops took possession of the town, they 
found the mutilated bodies still unburied, having 
been simply thrown over the w^all of the court into 
the field below. Yet the principal instigators of 
these horrible deeds remain unpunished. It is true 
that the Druses and Mohammedans have for the 
moment been banished from the village, and the 
Christians are endeavouring in every way to fortity 
their position in case of a future outbreak. But 
everything points to further dangers for the Chris- 
tians of Syria ; and the day when the fear of foreign 
intervention shall be removed fi'om the mind of the 
Turk will be the signal for a fresh outburst of 
fanatical fury, in accordance with the Friday's 
prayer in every mosque, ' that the Cross may be 
uprooted from the soil of Islam.' 

The Pere B., from whom our travellers received 



BETEDDIN. 



255 



these terrible details, escaped through tlic fidelity 
of an Arab, whose life he had saved on some 
previous occasion, and wlio conveyed him secretly 
in tlie night to Beyrout, together with a young 
schoolmaster whom he had persuaded to accompany 
him. 

On the following morning our travellers assisted 
at the mass performed in the newly-rebuilt church 
of the convent, on the very site so recently watered 
by the blood of the martyrs ; and to judge by the 
fervour and devotion of the large congregation, the 
terrible scenes of late years had not been without 
their fruit. After mass the Pere B. accompanied the 
travellers to the beautiful but now ruined palace of 
the Christian emirs, called Beteddin, by a steep and 
perilous descent, Avhere the horses could with diffi- 
culty keep their footing. The situation of the palace 
is quite magnificent ; and its architecture and 
decorations equal the most gorgeous of the Italian 
palaces. But now all has been destroyed. The 
beautifid Venetian mosaic, with its elaborate pat- 
terns ; the rare marbles and agates which panelled 
the walls, — all are battered into small pieces. The 
luxurious baths have shared the same fate ; the 
fountains are choked with sand and filth. In the 
midst of the desolation beautiful roses and ferns 
were springing out of the ruins, as if nature would 
efface the mischief which the wanton hand of man 
had caused. Broken columns ; fragments of statues 



256 



BETEDDIN. 



and of exquisitely-coloured tiles ; beautifully-painted 
door-cases, and other vestiges of art and luxiuy, lay 
scattered about in e\^ery direction ; while in the 
midst of all, dark-red patches here and there and 
crimson stains told of the fearful deeds of silent 
horror perpetrated on that fearful day which had 
made this earthly paradise a byword for desolation. 

Our travellers sat on the terrace in the once 
lovely but now neglected garden, looking down on 
the glorious view in the gorge below, and wishing 
that some English millionaire would come and 
restore a place so unequalled in all the world for 
beauty of natural position. A pretty Christian 
child brought them coffee and sweetmeats, with 
bunches of roses, jasmine, and honeysuckle ; and a 
native ' sais ' pointed out the magnificent stables, 
capable of containing five himdrecl horses, which 
were erected under the arches of the spacious square 
leading into the garden. The Pere B. told them 
that a multitude of little children were found con- 
cealed in the courts and rooms of the palace after 
the massacre was over ; and these were rescued by 
the Sisters of Charity, and brought to their Beyrout 
orphanage. 

A few hours later, our traveller was among those 
very children in their happy convent-home — for 
to-morrow was to be a grand day at the orphanage. 
M. de S. was on his visitation-tour, and was coming 
to give the ' First Communion ' to all those whom 



BEYROUT OUrUANAGE. 



257 



the Lazarist fathers and the Sisters judged fit for 
the sacred rite. But the hidy, leaving the ehikh-en 
and Sisters, who were preparing the chapel for the 
morrow's ceremony, descended the stairs, and turned 
with the kind and gentle Superior into a corridor 
on the ground-floor, which led into the children's 
hospital. In one of the little beds was the figure of 
a beautiful child of fourteen, evidently in the last 
stage of consumption. She and her little sister 
were the sole survivors of a family of ten, murdered 
one by one on that fatal day in that beautiful 
palace of Beteddin. Her constitution had never 
recovered the fi-ightful shock ; but her gentleness 
and goodness had endeared her to every one around 
her. ' How is Marie this evening ? ' asked the 
Superior of a nursing Sister, whom they met on 
entering the dormitory. ' She is sinking, I fear, 
ma soeur,' was the reply, ' but good and patient as 
ever ; and now only waiting and longing for that,' 
she added with a smile, pointing to a little white 
veil which hung on a chair beside her. 

A bright gleam lit up the young girl's dying face 
as her visitors approached ; while the traveller, 
drawing firom her basket two framed casts of Jesus 
and of Mary, proceeded to hang them on the wall 
opposite her bed, and to decorate them with the 
flowers she had brought. ' These roses are fi-om 
your old home, dear child. We must make your 
room bright, you knoAv, for to-morroio,' said the 



258 



BEYROUT ORPHANAGE. 



lady, in answer to the questioning look of the dying- 
child ; who gently murmured, as she kissed her, 
^ 0, thank you so much ! How good every one is 
to me ! It will not be long to wait' 

And now the morning is come, and two hundred 
and fifty young souls dressed in white, with wreaths 
of white roses and soft white veils, are kneeling in - 
that beautiful chapel to receive for the first time 
the Bread of Life. Marie, too, has been dressed in 
white in her little bed ; but not more pure are the 
roses round her head or the lilies by her pictures, 
than is that spotless soul, sighing but for one thing 
— to receive her Lord before she departs to see 
Him face to face. Round her neck she wears the 
blue ribbon and medal of the ^ Enfans de Marie,' 
which she has likewise received on that day, in 
compliance with her earnest wish. And now the 
bell is heard and the light approaches, while the 
attendant Sisters devoutly kneel. A moment more, 
and she has received Him whom she has so loved 
and trusted in here. A few moments later, she 
was with Him in His kingdom. 



THE LEBANON, 259 



CHAPTER X. 

DAMASCUS AND THE LEBANON. 

On a lovely morning towards the end of April 
186 — , our travellers started from Beyrout along 
the beautifiil road which the French have left as a 
valuable memento of their two years' occupation, 
and began to mount the steep range of the Anti- 
Lebanon mountains on their way to Damascus. 
Passing through the scented pine-woods, and leaving 
the beautiful village of Beit Miry on their left, they 
soon got into the region of clouds and mist, Avhich 
speedily turned into rain so violent that their horses 
w^ould not face it, and they were compelled to take 
shelter for some time in the rude hut of a ^ can- 
tinier,' whose merry little French wife proceeded to 
dry the cloaks of the dripping travellers and pre- 
pare hot coffee, while she chattered on about her 
* experience of life ' since she came to ^ ce pays de 
harhares' whither she had accompanied her hus- 
band four years before. The storm having slightly 
abated, the party remounted, and, after a some- 
what wearisome ride, found their tents pitched in 
what the Americans would call a ' dreary swindle 

s2 



26o 



JOURNEY TO DAMA8GUS. 



swamp/ some way below the road, which the re- 
cent heavy rains had converted into a sea of liquid 
mud. However keen may be one's appreciation of 
the pleasures of tent-life, it must be allowed that 
on occasions of this sort the best of tempers is 
likely to feel some irritation. The water dripping 
slowly through one corner or the other of one's tent, 
soaking by degrees one's carpet and one's bed, 
one's clothes all moist, one's shoes disappearing in 
a mud which is as sticky as a Wiltshire chalk-pit 
after rain, — are minor miseries which it is easier 
to laugh at afterwards than at the time. Our tra- 
vellers, in consequence, made as early a start as 
possible the following morning ; and after riding 
for about ten miles through a somewhat uninterest- 
ing plain, arrived at a beautiful mountain pass, 
which brought them down to the shores of the 
river Abana, a bright rushing stream, alongside of 
which the road winds all the way to Damascus, 
bordered on each side by poplar, walnut, orange, 
apricot and other fruit trees. It is impossible to say 
how beautiful the effect of this mass of green was 
to eyes so long accustomed to the barren tracts of 
Palestine. Five or six miles farther on, the beau- 
tiful city burst upon our travellers like a dream of 
the Arabian Nights, with its graceful minarets, its 
domes glistening in the setting sun, and the beau- 
tiful background of mountains, with Hermon in the 
centre, forming altogether a really unrivalled pa- 



DAMASCUS. 



norama. It Avas dark wlien the party reached the 
comfortable hotel, where friendly voices were wait- 
ing to greet them ; and a delicious marble-paved 
sitting room, with a fountain playing in the centre, 
and raised divans on either side, formed a luxurious 
contrast to their discomforts the evening before. 

The following morning Padre L conducted 

one of the party through the dirty and crowded 
bazaars, and past the largest plane-tree in the world, 
to the Franciscan convent at the other end of the 
town, the sole remains of what was once the wealthy 
and flourishing Christian quarter. A temporary 
church has been erected adjoining the convent, 
where mass is daily performed. 

After the horrible massacres in the Lebanon 
during the months of May and June 1860,"^ the 
European consuls became naturally alarmed for the 
safety of the 25,000 or 30,000 Christians who, at 
that time, were the richest and most peaceable 
inhabitants of Damascus. They went in a body to 
Achmet Pasha, the governor, to ask him, in the 
name of their respective Governments, if he would 
answer for the safety of the Christians. He re- 
assured them with the most specious promises, pre- 
tending that the Lebanon massacres were only the 
result of a quarrel between two hostile nations, the 
Druses and the Maronites ; but that, under the 

* This description is taken from a pamphlet by M. Lenormant, 
entitled, ' Histoire des Massacres de Syrie,' en 1860. 



262 



THE MA88ACBE OF 1860. 



protection of the Sublime Porte, they might rest in 
perfect security. In spite of these assurances, how- 
ever, a general uneasiness prevailed. M. Lanusse, 
who was acting at the moment for the French 
consul, and M. Spartalis, the Greek consul, went to 
the principal chiefs among the Mahometans, and 
endeavoured to ascertain from them what was the ex- 
tent of the danger with which they were threatened. 
The principal sheik resorted to the same dissimu- 
lation as the governor, but his colleague was more 
honest : ' You must, I fear, expect a, rising,' he said. 
^ More than eighteen hundred guns have been dis- 
tributed among the people in the last few days ; be 
sure these are not for your protection.' This was 
on the 3rd July. The following days were spent ' 
in preparations for resistance on the part of the 
Christians, and insults on the side of the Maho- 
metans, who entered the houses of the Sisters of 
Charity and of the missionaries, exclaiming, ' Very 
soon we shall be masters here. Tour churches will 
make beautiful mosques ! ' They traced crosses 
on the ground, and obliged the Christians whom 
they met in the street to walk over them amidst 
shouts of derision ; other crosses they tied round 
the necks of the dogs (who swarm in Damascus), 
so as to insult still further the sign of our redemp- 
tion. 

On the 9th July the massacre began, at the 
very hour when the cry from the muezzin sum- 



THE MASSACRE OF 1860. 



263 



moned the faithful to prayer. There was not a 
single Druse or Bedouin then at Damascus ; the 
outrage was purely Mahometan. They entered 
in squadi^ons into the Christian quarter, pillaging, 
burning, murdering, and insulting every human 
being, sparing neither age nor sex ; and these 
horrors lasted for five days ! The Franciscan mis- 
sioners from the Holy Land were among the first 
victims. They had been advised to make their 
escape. ' Why should we be afraid ?' they replied. 
' We have never done anything but good to the 
Mussulmans ; their children attend our classes, and 
love us as their fathers. Besides, our house is under 
the protection of France.' An hour after the out- 
break began, their convent was surrounded and 
broken into. The Franciscans ran into their 
chapel, and knelt round the altar, with about fifty 
other Christians who had taken refuge there. 
They were given the choice of apostasy or death. 
All chose the latter. A Turk mounted into the 
belfiy. They had agreed that at each stroke of the 
bell a Franciscan should fall. At the first stroke 
they called out, ^ The first mass for the Emperor 
Napoleon ! ' and the head of the first priest rolled 
on the pavement. The tragedy was continued for 
each. At the last the cry was, ' Last mass for those 
who have the habit of attending this cursed place ! ' 
and the body of the Superior fell on the steps and 
at the foot of the altar. 



264 



THE MASSACRE OF 1860. 



After the Franciscan martyrdoms were over, the 
assassins went on to the house of the Sisters of 
Charity and the Peres Lazaristes, a magnificent 
establishment, of which the construction had cost 
an immense sum, and which had been founded by 
the Eev. Pere Leroy. But the noble Emir, Abd-el- 
Kader, who at the first sound of the massacre had 
hastened from his villa into the town with a body 
of faithful Algerian followers, had taken instant 
measures for the safety of both the Sisters and 
their spiritual Fathers. He and his noble band 
found them all, priests, sisters, and orphans, grouped 
in the chapel expecting instant death. The priests, 
hastily consuming the Sacred Host in the Taber- 
nacle, followed their deliverers with the Sisters of 
Charity and two hundred young girls belonging to 
their school, and arrived in safety at Abd-el-Kader's 
house. The murderers therefore found no victims 
on whom to wreak their fury, but revenged them- 
selves by destroying the house, with everything it 
contained. The venerable Pere Leroy died of grief, 
a few days after, at seeing the destruction of the 
work to which he had devoted his whole life and 
all the efforts of his charity. Not a church or 
convent was spared ; they did not leave one stone 
upon the other. Eleven churches were rased to 
the ground. Latin, Greek, Armenian, and Maro- 
nite were equally the objects of Mahometan fury. 
The houses of the Greek Patriarchs were pillaged 



TUN MASSACRE OF 1860. 



265 



and l)iii"nt. All tliis time the governor remained 
quietly in the citadel, and, like Nero at the burning 
of Rome, watched the massacre from his windows, 
and caused military airs to be played to drown the 
cries of his Adctims. 

Among the sufferers was a venerable old man 
named Francis Moussabeki, whose generous hospi- 
tality was known to all European visitors. He was | 
a rich Maronite merchant, and had lent a large 
sum to one of the Mussulman sheiks. As soon as 
the butchery began, his creditor sent two men to 
murder him. They offered him, as usual, death or 
apostasy. ^ Let Abdallah keep my money if he 
chooses,' said the old man. ^ As to myself, I shall 
not deny my Saviour. He has taught me not to 
fear those who kill the body, but those who would 
tempt me to lose my soul. I am a Christian, and 
so will I die ! ' Saying these words, he fell on his 
knees, and in a moment the faithful martyr had 
received his palm. 

Abd-el-Kader all this time had not been idle. 
He had brought the European consuls and their 
families to his house as well as the Sisters of Charity 
and the priests, and now exerted himself to save all 
he could among the unfortunate Christian popu- 
lation. By night he and his noble band had ^ 
made seven separate sallies into the town, and had 
rescued 11,000 men, women, and children, whom 
he placed in the citadel, besides 3,000 who were 



266 



THE MA88ACBE OF 1860. 



already in his own house. He did this at the peril 
of his life : six or seven of his escort were killed 
fighting by his side. The following morning he 
hastened to the governor, representing the disgrace 
which would fall on the followers of Islam when 
such atrocities became known, and imploring him 
for leave to put an end to a scene so disgraceful. 
The leave was granted. Arms were sent, and Abd- 
el-Kader prepared, with his faithful followers, to 
avenge the murdered Christians, when contrary 
orders were sent by the governor. ^ Do not meddle 
in this affair,' was added, and the Emir received 
privately a notice at the same time, that even the 
Christians in his own house were not to be spared, 
5,000 bandits having been told off to attack it and 
slaughter the refugees. ' We shall see,' exclaimed 
the Emir in a tone of fury ; and instantly arming 
the whole of his followers and all the Christians 
capable of bearing arms, he placed one body in the 
citadel disguised as Damascus Mussulmans ; and 
gave orders that if his house were attacked, his 
Algerines should instantly set fire to the town 
in different quarters, and put Achmet Pasha to 
death. In the mean time a Druse sheik, friend 
of M. Spartalis, the Greek consul, arrived with 
fifteen hundred men in answer to his urgent 
summons, and placed himself under Abd-el-Kader's 
orders. This reinforcement turned the tide in an- 
other direction, and the assassins contented them- 



THE MASSACRE OF 1860. 



267 



selves with completing the ruin of the Christian 
quarter. 

The consuls, accompanied by the Pere Lazaristes 
and tlie Sisters of Charity, then proceeded to the 
citadel, where the refugees were dying of hunger 
by hundreds. There a horrible scene presented 
itself; the dead and the dying were huddled pell- 
mell together, wdthout food or water, or covering 
of any kind from the burning heat by day and the 
icy frosts and heavy dews by night. On the 13th 
July a new^ governor replaced Achmet, and order 
was established ; but in the five days' carnage 8,500 
Christians had been massacred, 3,800 houses had 
been burnt, and the pillage of merchandise and 
valuables w^as said to exceed in value 100 millions 
of fi'ancs. 

The morning passed rapidly while listening to 
the details above mentioned. A fresh era has 
begun for the Christians at Damascus ; the mur- 
dered Franciscan Fathers were so instantly re- 
placed, that the Mussulmans almost believed that 
their victims had risen from the dead. The ener- 
getic French consul has rebuilt the house of the 
Sisters of Charity, whose return was hailed by all 
the poorer classes with thankfulness and joy ; and 
the churches are rising again from the mass of 
ruins which still sadly marks the Christian quarter. 
How long it wdll be before a fi^esh burst of Mus- 
sulman ferocity again desolates this beautiful city, 



26S 



THE MOSQUE. 



God only knows; but in the meantime the Chris- 
tians have begun again, in faith and hope, their 
labours of love ; and the seed sown and watered by 
the blood of martyrs is springing forth, and bearing 
fruit a hundredfold. 

The foUoAving day our travellers paid a visit to 
the beautiful mosque, first a pagan temple, then 
converted into a Christian basilica, which it con- 
tinued to be till the fifteenth century, when the 
Moslems wrested it out of Christian hands. Passing 
through a very fine brass gate, they came into a 
beautiful cloistered quadrangle, surrounded by Co- 
rinthian columns, with a Saracenic fountain in the 
centre. The marble pillars in the interior of the 
mosque, and the mosaics in the roof and on the 
walls, are still in perfect preservation, and teem 
with Christian emblems like those of the mosque of 
St. Sophia at Constantinople, where the cross starts 
out of its gold ground in every direction, in spite 
of the Moslem attempts to hide or deface it. The 
head of St. John the Baptist is believed to be 
really in existence in this church, and is looked 
upon with great veneration by the Moslems. Over 
a magnificent portal the inscription still remains, 
engraven in Greek : ' Thy kingdom, Christ, is an 
everlasting kingdom, and Thy dominion endure th 
throughout all generations.' Strangely must the 
recollection of that silent witness to the truth have 
occurred to the minds of the martyrs for that 



PRIVATE HOUSES AT DAMASCUS. 



kingdom in those five days of terror. The view 
from tlic minaret is perfectly beautiful, overlooking 
the whole city, surrounded with its glorious gardens 
and orange-groves and cypresses, with magnificent 
rano-es of mountains on either side. 

From the mosque our party went to see the 
houses of the French and English consuls, as also 
of several Jews and Moslems. It is impossible to 
conceive anything more beautiful or more luxurious. 
They are all of the same type. Emerging fi'om 
dirty long lanes, and passing through low insig- 
nificant doorways, you come suddenly into a court 
paved with marble, with a fountain in the centre, 
shaded by oranges, lemons, pomegranates, and other 
exotics, beautiful roses (of the kind called in 
England the ^ monthly cluster,' a highly-scented 
one, ft*om which the attar is made), jasmine, and 
other flowers. From this court opens out a succes- 
sion of rooms such as are described in the Arabian 
Nights, the walls covered with mosaic, the ceilings 
of wood exquisitely carved in the most delicate 
Saracenic patterns and equally exquisitely coloured 
with that peculiar blending of shades which none 
but Orientals understand. In the centre is again 
a fountain, and at each end of the room a raised 
divan covered with beautiful Persian carpets, the 
windows latticed and pierced in the most delicate 
patterns ; beautiful china in niches and other ori- 
ental treasures, enamelled narghilehs (pipe-holders). 



270 



BAZAARS AT DAMASCUS, 



engraved bowls of silver and platina, into which 
divers patterns and passages of the Koran are 
elaborately worked, filigree coffee-cups all glistening 
with jewels. Such are the houses of the English 
and French consuls, and such, in a greater or less 
degree, is the Oriental idea of perfect luxury. 

The bazaars at Damascus were also an attraction 
to our travellers ; but, overflowing as they are with 
treasures, the indifference of the owners to selling 
or displaying them made the attempts to purchase 
anything almost hopeless. The engraved metal 
bowls seen in all the rice, millet, and provision 
shops, are beautiful in shape and design ; but they 
are heir-looms, and the people will not part with 
them. Incense is famous at Damascus. There is 
a peculiar kind prepared from flowers which is 
more fragrant than any other. 

' St. George's ' day broke on our party amid tor- 
rents of rain ; but one of the travellers waded 
through the mud of the bazaars to the Franciscan 
church, her donkey on one occasion falling into the 
middle of a fruit-stall and upsetting the gravity of 
a venerable Turk, who was gravely sipping his 
coffee squatted on a bench at the back. Every 
mass in that week happened to be of martyrs ; and 
the words of the Gospels and Collects for each day 
seemed to come home to the hearts of the hearers 
with double force in that very spot which had so 
lately witnessed similar glorious conflicts. ' So con- 



DAMASCUS AND AIN-FIJEIL 



271 



firm ns by Thy grace in faith and charity, that wo 
may deserve to be found faithful to Thy service 
even unto death : ' the words seemed to have been 
written on purpose. After mass, the tropical rain 
havings ceased, Padre L. took our party by ^ the 
street called Straight' to the house of Ananias, 
which being buried, as it were, below the level of 
the existing buildings, escaped the surrounding de- 
struction. It is fitted up as a little chapel, and 
mass is occasionally said in it. Continuing along 
this street they came to the outer wall, and were 
shown the place where St. Paul is supposed to have 
been let down in a basket by his disciples, so that 
he might escape from his persecutors. There is no 
other religious interest attached to this beautiful 
town, which for history and antiquity is unrivalled, 
and deserves its two Arabic appellations of ^ pearl 
of the East ' and ^ mother of cities.' A few days 
later, our travellers left Damascus, and riding 
through groves of fruit-trees and by the rushing 
waters of the Barada, came suddenly on a beautiful 
gorge of red-coloured rocks, which led them to the 
still more exquisite valley of Ain-Fijeh, the spot 
appointed for their noonday's halt. They rested 
under the shade of some glorious walnut-trees, close 
to the largest spring in Syria, which forms the 
principal source of the Barada. The water leaps 
rather than bubbles up fi:om the mouth of a cave, 
and forms a torrent five or six feet deep, clear and 



272 



BAALBEC, 



beautiful as crystal. Eound this spring are the 
remains of a temple of Baal, built of very large 
stones, and of which the ancient pillars overhang 
the cavern, rather like that of Tivoli. Leaving 
this lovely spot with great regret, our cavalcade 
pushed on to Souk, the ancient Abila, winding 
through rocky glens and by the side of the Barada, 
with its waterfalls and picturesque bridges. The 
cliffs were covered with Roman tablets and tombs. 
After early mass in the tents, the party left Souk 
for Surghaya, passing by the summer villas of the 
Damascenes, and through the picturesque town of 
Zebdany, which stands in a plain forming the 
centre of Anti-Lebanon. 

From Surghaya a somewhat barren and un- 
interesting track led our travellers to Baalbec. 
They halted, before arriving at the temples, near a 
fountain to the right, containing the purest water 
in Syria, and close to the remains of a fine Chris- 
tian basilica. Roberts's drawings and Carl Haag's 
can alone give an idea of the beauty of Baalbec. 
In point of position, richness of carving, and size of 
stones, no other temples can compare with them. 
Karnac may be grander, but it has not the exqui- 
site tracery and beauty of Baalbec. The Emperor 
Theodosius converted this great pagan temple of 
the Sun into a Christian Church, as likewise the 
one below, now used as a mosque. There is a 
Greek bishop here, whose convent and church were 



DEIR-EL-AIJMAR. 



^73 



destroyed at the time of the massacre, hut liave 
now heeii rehuilt. His flock are few and scattered ; 
but the venerable old man seemed happy and con- 
tented with his post. 

The folio whig morning Padre L. said mass in 
his church (the bishop belonging to the ' United ' 
Greeks) ; and after spending the morning in 
sketching and wandering over the ruins, the party 
started after luncheon for Deir-el-Ahmar, galloping 
across the plain, in which the only object of interest 
is a solitary Corinthian column about which nothing 
is known. The people of Deir-el-Ahmar pressed 
them to rest in one of their orchards, and were 
very kind and hospitable. The Jesuits have estab- 
lished two Sisters of Charity in this village, to teach 
in the school. They have about fifty children, and 
seem to be doing very well ; but their life is a very 
hard one. They asked the party into their hut, 
which is almost bare of fiirniture, and gave them 
lemonade to drink out of a tiny w^ashhand basin ; 
but they seemed contented and happy. From Deir- 
el-Ahmar the road lay up and down steep glens, 
thickly wooded with pine and cypress and oak, till 
they came suddenly on the bleak little village of 
Ain-Atta, at the foot of the great Lebanon range, 
and tented close to a beautiful rushing stream in a 
little grassy glen just under the shoulder of the 
mountain. The ascent before our travellers began 
to assume rather formidable proportions. They 

T 



274 CBOSSim THE LEBANON RANGE. 



were the first who had attempted it so early in the 
season, and dismal stories had been told them at 
Damascus of their probable fate if they chose to 
risk crossing the Lebanon before June, But the 
old Bishop of Baalbec had reassured them, and they 
determined to persevere. Kising at two the fol- 
lowing morning, Padre L. said mass in the tents, 
some beautiful white flowers having been found in 
the glen the night before for the altar ; and at half- 
past three the ascent was begun. A slight shower 
of rain had increased the difficulty, having melted 
the outer crust of the snow. Very soon the bravest 
of the party began to repent of their undertaking. 
It was impossible to remain on horseback, the poor 
beasts sinking and slipping at every step, and 
finally refusing to proceed. Nor did the mules fare 
any better ; so that they had to be unloaded, and 
their burden transferred to men's backs. But the 
sufferings of our travellers were repaid by the view 
which greeted them from the summit. The snow 
had ceased to fall, and the rising sun lit up what 
has been described by many travellers as ^ the most 
glorious panorama in the whole world.' Mountains 
and sea ; plains glorious in their vivid spring green ; 
towns and villages glistening in the sunlight by the 
blue Mediterranean, or nestled in the mountain 
gorges ; and Baalbec standing out alone and un- 
rivalled, with the dark-purple background of the 
Anti-Lebanon range — form, as a whole, a picture 



TIIIJ CEDARS. 



275 



never to be effaced from the memory. In one little 
spot to the right stood a dark clump ; they were 
tlie cedars. They seemed so near that our exhausted 
travellers flattered themselves that they v\^ould arrive 
there almost immediately ; but they had three 
hours more of painful toil down the rocky slope, 
sinking up to their knees in snowdrifts at every 
step, and often rolling over altogether. As the 
snow diminished, beautiful Alpine flowers appeared ; 
snowdrops blue and white, primulas and gentians, 
and a peculiarly large blue forget-me-not. At 
eleven o'clock the welcome resting-place was at 
last reached ; and our worn-out pilgrims, throwing 
themselves down on their plaids under the shelter 
of those glorious trees, fell fast asleep, regardless of 
the absence of horses, servants, or food, — all of 
which were still far away in that terrible snow. 

By evening, however, the stragglers came in one 
by one. The tents were pitched, and it was then 
found that the losses amounted to a little foal 
belonging to the Bedouin guide, and a pet hare, 
which had travelled on one of the baggage mules, 
and had been overturned and killed in the snow. 

A Maronite chapel"^' had been erected in the 
centre of the grove ; but it was too wet for occu- 
pation, and so the temporary altar was again erected 
in the tents. ' Justus ut palma florebit ; sicut 

* This cliapel lias lately been restored and fitted up by the generosity 
of a young English nobleman. 



276 



EHDEN. 



cedrus Libani multiplicabitur in domo Domini.' 
To those who have been in Syria the words of 
Holy Scripture come with a fourfold meaning. Our 
travellers spent the day in wandering among those 
giant trees, seven of which are unequalled in size 
and girth, and deserve their name — ^the trees of 
the Lord,' so beautifully described by the prophet 
Ezechiel as ^ with fair branches and full of leaves.' 
' No tree in the Paradise of God was like Him in 
His beauty.' The Arabs call the cedars in their 
expressive language the ' friends of Solomon,' and 
speak of their brides, in the language of the Can- 
ticles, as the Beloved, Svhose eyes are like pools of 
water,' and ^ whose countenance is as Lebanon — 
excellent as the cedars.' On the day of St. Philip 
and St. James, after a last mass in that beautiful 
spot, our travellers started for Ehden, winding 
round a magnificent gorge, with the village of 
Bischerreh, which is built on the rocky edge of the 
ravine, surrounded with cypresses, and the falls of 
Kadisha tumbling into the valley below, on their 
left ; while on the other side of the ravine was an 
equally picturesque village on a shelf overhanging 
the precipice. The people in the Lebanon are 
a hardy and primitive race, but full of poetry 
and imagination. Their customs are peculiar, but 
very beautiful. When they want to express their 
pleasure at seeing you, in their hearty welcome 
they burn incense at the corners of the roads, 



EUDEN. 277 

and pour coffee on the ground, as a kind of 
libation, at your feet, meaning that what they 
have best is not worthy of being offered to you. 
Our travellers were welcomed in this way all along 
the road to Ehden, the men firing ' feux de joie ' 
over their heads (greatly to the disturbance of 
their horses), and the women burning incense 
and offering the most beautiful bouquets of spring- 
flowers, violets, jasmine, primroses, and large blue 
forget-me-nots. For once, all offers of ' baksheesh ' 
were refused. They escorted our travellers in this 
way until they arrived at the house of the Lazarist 
Fathers, whose convent and church are built on a 
raised plateau overlooking the magnificent gorge 
on the opposite side, and shaded by the walnut- 
trees for which Ehden is so famous. The superior 
received them very kindly, gave them coffee and 
sweetmeats, and showed them his church. He was 
daily expecting the arrival of some of the Sisters of 
Charity on their way to recommence the Damascene 
mission. Certainly the lot of these Fathers has 
' fallen on pleasant places.' It is impossible to 
imagine a more beautiful spot, with its group of 
cedars, relics of the ancient forest, and the lovely 
range of Lebanon mountains on each side, which 
combine all that is grand in the way of precipices 
and waterfalls, wdth the most careful cultivation 
and the richest vegetation. The valley w^as thickly 
studded with little chapels and monasteries— the 



278 



CONVENT OF MAR ANTOUN. 



chapels with open belfries or bell-turrets gladdening 
the hearts of our travellers, so long deprived of 
sights and sounds reminding them of their Faith 
and their home. On leaving Ehden, with its beau- 
tiftil and friendly people, their route lay along the 
Tripoli road, till they arrived at Jebel Arneto, from 
whence they turned off to the left to visit the fine 
old Maronite convent of Mar Antoun. Passing 
under a high arch on which was cut a large w^hite 
cross, they rode through oak and juniper w^oods to 
the convent, perched on the edge of the rock, where 
the monks received them courteously, and con- 
ducted the ladies to a vine-covered trellis outside 
the building, into which no woman is admitted. 

One hundred and forty monks are congregated 
here ; but two or three of their number have 
sought a more austere solitude higher up the moun- 
tain, where they pass their lives in penance and 
prayer. One of the party scrambled up to the cell 
of one of these hermits. It was bare of all frirniture 
save a water-bottle and a large crucifix fastened into 
the stone. There the old man was kneeling, and with 
fatherly kindness rose and blessed his unexpected 
visitor. His only book, besides his Breviary, was a 
copy of St. Alphonsus Liguori ; but he seemed to 
have no wish beyond. His food was raw herbs and 
rancid oil, brought up to him once or twice a v^^eek 
from the convent below. His sole occupation was 
prayer, and the endeavour to unite his soul continually 



ZUGHARTA. 



279 



with God. It is strange in this nineteenth century 
of bustle and excitement, and pushing and striving, 
to find souls like these — as devoted, as simple, as 
the anchorite of old — absorbed in the unseen life ; . 
or if their thoughts turn to those they have left in 
the world below, only to wrestle for them in prayer 
with the Great Intercessor. Also, their prayers are 
eagerly sought for by the villagers round, whose 
simple faith ascribes to them a wonderful efficacy. 

After refreshing themselves with excellent honey, 
bread, and salad, kindly provided by the hospi- 
table monks, our travellers commenced the descent 
towards Tripoli, passing through a succession of 
beautiful villages, in which the Lazarist Fathers 
have everywhere established schools as at Ehden. 
The road was rugged and steep in the extreme, 
Avinding between two high mountains covered with 
the white cypress, beautiful spring flowers starting 
out of every fissure of the rocks. After about three 
hours of painful slipping and sliding, they crossed 
a rapid stream at the bottom, and found themselves 
cantering through a lovely valley on a kind of 
smooth sward between high hedges of pomegranate 
and orange and sweet-scented yellow- ochre-coloured 
blossoms of what the Arabs call the ^ sweet olive,' 
but the botanical name of which our travellers in 
vain endeavoured to ascertain. This shrub scented 
the whole air for miles. Another hour's ride 
brought them to Zugharta, a village sliaded by 



28o 



TRIPOLI. 



mulberry and walnut trees, where they tented for 
the night, the Angelus-bell having first summoned 
them to a very tidy little church adjoining a con- 
vent-school served by the ^ United ' Maronites. 

After early mass the following day, which was 
attended by a large and devout congregation, our 
party remounted, and, riding over a fertile plain for 
five or six hours, descended at last the steep hill 
leading to Tripoli, and tented on a small plateau 
overlooking the town and the sea, and close to the 
ruins of a picturesque castle. There are two Fran- 
ciscan convents in this place, one by the seashore 
near the old castle built by Raymond de Toulouse ; 
the other in the centre of the town. The Sisters 
of Charity are also established there, and have a 
flourishing orphanage and school. After spending 
some time with their old Franciscan friends, the 
travellers rode through beautiful gardens (fiiU of 
oranges, apricots, and figs, and tangled over with 
ipomeas and other bright creepers) to the seashore, 
where the bright sand was covered with multitudes 
of shells. The ensuing day, being that kept in 
honour of the discovery of the Holy Cross by the 
Empress Helena, is a great fete throughout Pa- 
lestine. The four-o'clock mass at the large Fran- 
ciscan church was crowded with worshippers, and a 
portion of the true Cross was exposed to the vene- 
ration of the faithful. The travellers here divided ; 
and the description of the mountain route chosen 



MOUNTAIN ROUTK 



by one half of the party is licrc inserted from tlie 
very interesting journal of one of the ladies : — 

'May 3, Tuesday.— Tripoli. 

^ Our party is to divide here ; some going by the 
sea-coast to Beyrout, while the remaining four, 
being bent on seeing somewhat more of the Le- 
banon, are to strike out a route for themselves over 
the mountains. Last night our mukkaree were 
rebellious ; they disobeyed orders, and pitched our 
tents in the wrong place. So as we are going off 
on a comparatively unknowm route, F. thought it 
advisable to give them a lesson, and proceeded 
to the English consul, accompanied by Mr. Jessop, 
the American missionary, who was most obliging, to 
lodge his complaints. The only punishment which 
the consul could inflict was to imprison the dis- 
obedient muleteers, which would effectually have 
put an end to our expedition ; so all that could be 
done was to return to the camp with a kawass, who 
demanded sternly which were the culprits. The 
chief offenders being pointed out to him, he marched 
them off to the consul, who threatened them se- 
verely, and having frightened them out of their wits, 
sent them back ; and ever after they were as meek 
and obedient as possible. Having wished the rest 
of our party good-bye, we got on our horses about 
half past ten, and, followed by our baggage mules, 
crossed over the bridge in the town, and took our 



282 



MOUNTAIN ROUTE. 



way over a partially cultivated plain, and then over 
low hills, till about the middle of the day, when we 
halted near a little village surrounded by gardens 
and orchards. In one of these w^e spread our carpet, 
and partook of our usual luncheon of cold chicken, 
eggs, and cake, sheltering ourselves from the sun as 
best we might under the scanty foliage of the olive 
trees. Some of us then took a nap on the ground ; 
when you have been riding in the hot sun for some 
hours, there are more uncomfortable beds than a 
turkey carpet spread on soft ploughed land under 
a tree, and many a sound sleep have we had lulled 
perhaps by a stream, or by the drowsy singing of 
the grasshoppers ; waking sometimes to find half 
the neighbouring village seated at a little distance 
attentively watching our slumbers with a fixed and 
astonished stare. On this occasion, however, we re- 
mounted our horses unwitnessed, and rode towards 
the village. Here we were met by a skeik, with 
whom Achmet-el-Feshowi, our dragoman, had some 
conversation. He made us profound salaams, and 
begged us to come and see his horses, which wo 
accordingly did. One was a bay — a beautiful crea- 
ture, somewhat larger than the usual run of Arab 
horses. On taking leave of us, the skeik gave me 
a little coarse woodcut picture of a saint, with a 
Maronite prayer, and, thanking him, we rode on. 
Eeaching a high plateau, Bziza, we caused our 
tents to be pitched when they arrived, which they 



MOUNTAIN ROUTE. 



did before we had waited for them very lonpr. 
Close by was a pretty little Ionic temple witli a 
portico, three out of the four columns still standing. 
Seated on some of the ruins, we waited till dinner 
was ready. The view was very fine ; to the west we 
looked over hill and dale towards the sea, while 
to the east rose the range of mountains amongst 
which we were to travel the next day. As we sat 
there listening to Gulliver's travels, which one of 
our party read aloud, two mountaineers, with long 
carbines slung at their backs, passed by, and paused 
to watch us with some amusement, while we in 
return looked admiringly at their wild appearance 
and picturesque costume. During the night a very 
high wind sprang up, and caught our tents and 
battled with them, tearing open first one door and 
then another, till we thought we were going to be 
blown bodily away. 

' May 4, Wednesday. 

' Hitherto we had not told our mukkaree which 
way we were going, fearing that, not having tra- 
velled that way before, they might raise objections. 
Indeed, we ourselves did not know exactly where 
we were going, though we had a vague wish to get 
to Jisr-el-Hajar, a bridge we had heard of, and to 
arrive at Beyrout on Saturday. For the rest we 
looked on the map, and traced out a route which 
we intended following more or less as we found it 



284 



VALLEY OF FAEHILDA. 



practicable. When we told the miikkaree of our 
plans, they were still too much subdued by their 
yesterday's scolding to offer one word of remon- 
strance. They are very good fellows after all, these 
muleteers, take them as a body, kind to their beasts 
and full of good-natured fun and jokes amongst 
each other. Our way at first lay up a very steep hill, 
on the top of which we met a goat-herd, from whom 
we got some milk, and then down into a valley, 
Farhilda, which might have been Easselas' Happy 
Yalley, so smiling did it look with clear streams, 
orchards of mulberry trees and almond trees in frill 
blossom ; and as we rode along, I amused myself 
by weaving a romance in which a Syrian maiden, 
a crusader, and the valley of Farhilda bore a pro- 
minent part ; but soon the path grew too steep to 
admit of such conceits, and after some very stiff 
climbing, we were glad to pause for a few moments 
on some level ground, in front of a little village 
school shaded by trees, through the open door of 
which came the singsong hum of the children 
learning their lessons out loud ; and peeping in, we 
saw some twenty little scholars sitting cross-legged 
on the ground round their master. A little farther 
on we reached the village of Dumah, and, while 
P.'s horse was being shod, we went into a shop 
where was displayed a quantity of English cottons 
and French looking-glasses. The master of the 
shop offered us coffee, and we sat sipping it, look- 



WATERFALL. 



285 



ing into tlio narrow street while tlie people came 
and had a good stare at the liOAvadjii. Proceeding 
on our way, we fonnd onr path grow steeper and 
rockier every moment. The baggage mules lagged 
far behind. We rested for a short time, and had 
luncheon among the rocks, and then resumed our 
climb. At last we reached the top of the pass, and 
found to our dismay that the road down on the 
other side was even more steep than the one up 
which we had been climbing. There was no help 
for it, however ; so getting off our horses, and knot- 
ting up their bridles, we drove them before us and 
commenced our descent. The vegetation was very 
scanty, only a few bushes springing up between 
the rocks. At last we reached the bottom, and 
leaving our horses to the care of Achmet, we took 
our way on foot to the right, attracted by the sound 
of falling water. In a few moments we discovered 
whence arose the sound. Descending a steep in- 
cline, we found ourselves hemmed in on all sides by a 
sort of arena of rocks, which rose perhaps 100 feet 
all round us, enclosing an area of may be 200 square 
yards ; the bottom was uneven, and clothed with 
grass and flowers, and looking up, we saw one of the 
most extraordinary waterfalls that probably exists. 
A stream running down the valley at the foot of 
the mountain we had just descended comes to 
within a couple of yards of this chasm, and 
there it suddenly falls through a great rent in the 



286 



WATERFALL OF EL BELOOAIL 



rock, and makes a single unbroken leap to the 
ground, a distance of about 100 feet ; but the 
strangest part of all is, that, having reached the 
ground, it incontinently vanishes and disappears into 
the earth, and is seen no more ! The effect, stand- 
ing below, is curious in the extreme, and is height- 
ened by a natural bridge of rock which is thrown 
across from one side to the other, just in fi'ont of 
the waterfall and about half way down. On to this 
bridge Ave climbed, and, looking up, saw the water 
dashing out through the rent in the rock above us, 
and, looking down, saw it disappear. Whence it 
came, and whither it went, seemed equally inex- 
plicable. There must have been some grand vol- 
canic disturbance to have caused this. Returning 
to our horses, we found our baggage mules had not 
yet arrived, and after much anxious gazing up the 
side of the mountain, we caught sight of them 
creeping slowly down. When they did arrive, the 
muleteers were in no very pleasant humour, as not 
one of the mules but had had more than one tumble. 
However, as little damage was done beyond the 
breakage of sundry bottles, everything soon calmed 
down, and the tents were pitched in a sheltered 
spot which we shared with a flock of some hundred 
sheep and lambs herded by wild-looking shepherds, 
who added to the picturesqueness of the scene, when 
it grew dark, by setting light to some dry shrubs 
that grew out of the clefts of the rock. 



AKOUBAII. 



287 



'May 5, Thursday (Ascension Day). 

' Finding a little ruined chapel not far from our 
encampment, Ave went thither and performed cer- 
tain devotions in honour of the day, and then 
having breakfasted, we once more set off on our 
journeyings, having paid a last visit to our water- 
fall, and found it lost nothing in the morning light. 
A shepherd we questioned called it El Belooah. 
Our way now led over bleak hills, and the cold was 
excessive. A good deal of snow lay on the ground 
in places, and we found many of those beautiful 
fragile flowers of the crocus kind that grow near 
the edge of the snow. A little later, and the 
weather grew warmer, and the country more cheer- 
ful, till we reached Akourah, a small village at the 
head of a beautiful valley. Here we saw nearly 
the whole population at work building the priest's 
house ; it being a festival day, they employed it in 
doing a good work. The valley became more beau- 
tiful every step as we descended, being clothed with 
trees and shrubs and beautiful flowers, while streams 
gTished out on all sides. We reached Af ka, the source 
of the river Adonis in the afternoon. This was the 
scene of the supposed death of Adonis, who is said to 
have been killed by a wild boar, and a more lovely 
spot cannot be conceived. The river comes out of 
a cavern, and passes under a natural bridge of rock. 
The ruins of a little temple hang over a smaller 



288 SOURCE OF THE RIVER ADONIS, 



stream, and are half hidden by creepers and trees. 
There I spent some time in a state of dreamy 
enjoyment, watching the water leaping down the 
valley over the rocks, and listening to the birds 
who were singing in the woods all round, and then 
joined the others to investigate the source of the 
river. It springs out of the rock in a huge cavern, 
and into this cavern we were determined to pene- 
trate ; but one after the other of us struggled in- 
effectually to climb up a bit of perpendicular rock 
which barred our entrance, and we should have been 
obliged to give up all hope of attaining our object 
had not a countryman passed by, who was evidently 
used to the place, and who managed to climb up, 
greatly assisted by the fact that his feet were bare. 
He hauled us up one after the other, almost dis- 
locating our arms in the process. Once in the 
cavern, we felt amply repaid for our exertions. It 
was dark and lofty, and, looking into the extreme 
end, we could see the whole volume of water 
gushing out of the rock. We stood by the side of 
the deep channel it had cut for itself, while the 
cold spray was dashed in our faces ; and then 
turning to the mouth of the cavern, we watched it 
leap down, hurry under the bridge, and go foaming 
down the valley. Our exit was almost more diffi- 
cult than our entry. As for P. and me, being the 
youngest and lightest of the party, our guide took 
us unceremoniously by the arms, and dropped us 



TENT LIFE IN THE JjEBANON 



289 



down iis lie Avoiild two cats, and fortunately, like 
tlioise animals, Ave fell safely on our legs, and watclied 
Avitli amusement F. and F. L. scrambling down 
as best they might. And now our baggage mules 
came by, and we felt that we must leave this beau- 
tiful place ; but it was witli infinite regret that we 
rode away, though the country we passed through 
was hardly less beautiful. Leaving to our right a 
splendid gorge that lay dark in the shadow, and 
that is not to be surpassed by anything in Switzer- 
land — if indeed it is not rather infra dig. to com- 
pare the Lebanon to Switzerland — we took our 
w^ay along a broad terrace nearly at the top of the 
range of mountains. To our right the ground fell 
perpendicularly for several hundred feet, and w^e 
could look sheer down into the valley beneath. 
The evening was now coming on, and being up so 
high, the cold was very great, and still the ridge 
stretched on before us interminably, and nobody 
knew how far off we were from Jisr-el-Hajar, and 
as our horses and selves were growing tired, we de- 
cided upon a halt, though the ground was anything 
but favourable. What little land was available 
was slightly cultivated, and wheat was beginning 
to show itself above ground ; for the rest every- 
thing was a complete bog, with springs on all sides. 
How^ever, choosing the driest place we could find 
- — we had not the conscience to trample down the 
w^heat — we caused our tents to be pitched. To 

u 



290 



TENT LIFE IN THE LEBANON 



add to our misfortunes, we had no charcoal left, 
and as there was no tree in sight upon the ridge, 
we feared we should have to put up with a cold 
dinner and no means of warming ourselves, and, 
shivering as we were, this was no pleasant pro- 
spect. However, there was a report that not far 
off existed the remains of a ruined goatherd's hut, 
and while some of the muleteers were sent to pull 
down what rafters and odds and ends of wood they 
could find, we went to the edge of the ridge and 
perched ourselves upon a rock, and took a bird's- 
eye view of the valley beneath. Far down we 
could see villages, surrounded by fields and orchards, 
watered by pleasant streams ; some men were 
leading the cows home to be milked, and as they 
called to the cattle, we could hear their voices 
coming faintly up to us from below. We were 
very hungry, but well done, Adam ! despite all 
drawbacks, what a capital smoking hot dinner you 
soon set out before the weary travellers, and for- 
tified therewith, sleep soon reigned over the en- 
campment. 

' May 6, Friday. 

' Our way still lay along the ridge for some miles, 
but at last the ground became more broken, and 
we descended into a valley watered by a large 
stream, which turned many, mills. We greeted 
with delight some decidedly English-looking prim- 



JISR-EL-HAJAR. 



roses, and saw rliododendrons, some of wliicli were 
still in blossom. And now we parted from our 
baggage, and ordering the muleteers to meet us at 
Juneh that evening, we ascended a very stony path, 
and soon found ourselves at Jisr-el-Hajar. Whether 
from having for so long looked forward to finding 
ourselves there, or from having already seen natural 
bridges of rock, I do not know, but certain it is we 
did not find this brido-e half so wonderful as the 
waterfall at El Belooah, which to all intents and 
purposes we had discovered ourselves, as we never 
met anyone who had seen it, or found it men- 
tioned in any guide-book. But Jisr-el-Hajar is 
very remarkable. It is a nearly perfect arch, span- 
ning a broad river, which flows w^ith extreme 
rapidity in a deep rocky channel. Leaving this, 
we rode to Fokra, where there are many grey ruins 
in the middle of grey rocks, and so alike in colour 
are the rocks and ruins that we could hardly tell 
them apart. Here we made a halt, and climbed 
about, rousing certain unpleasant-looking snakes, 
Avhich on our approach uncoiled themselves and 
slunk under the stones. Mounting once more, we 
passed through the little village of Mezraah, where 
we had to stop while F.'s horse was being shod. 
This was the third time since we left Tripoli that 
we had to delay for the same cause, which speaks ill 
for the roads. All the cottages about here have on 
their flat roofs a smooth white stone shaped like a 

u2 



292 HIDING THROUGH THE LEBANON RANGE. 



garden-roller, but without a handle ; for what pur- 
pose they are used, we could not ascertain, and 
could only guess that it was to flatten down from 
time to time the mud roofs. And now being some- 
Avhat weary of riding, P. and I got off our horses, 
and, driving them before us, descended a very good 
zigzag path down the side of the mountain. When 
we reached the bottom, we found we had consider- 
ably outstripped the others, and sat down on the 
bridge that spanned a very pretty stream that 
turned a mill-wheel close by. Here a country- 
w^oman joined us, and we had some conversation 
by dumb signs ; and she was much amused when I 
made her put on a pair of brown goggles that I 
had got for the sun. F. and F. L. joining us, we 
remounted, and rode up the other side of the moan- 
tain. The sun, which was now considerably in the 
west, caught our shadows from time to time, and 
cast them upon the mountain on the other side of 
the valley — the effect was curious. After a short 
ride, we came to a little village, and just beyond a 
group of rocks looking like another village, and 
covered with creepers and beautiful flowers which 
grew in the clefts. It might have been the abode of 
gnomes or any other ' good people.' I almost fancied 
I could distinguish a church with a spire, and cot- 
tages surrounded with gardens — a slight haze in 
the atmosphere helped the self-deception. Then 
we passed Kuleiat, Eeifun, and Ajeltun, at which 



BELLUNmT AND ANTURATL 203 

last plcicc we found a Maronitc church open, and 
the congregation entering. We dismounted, and 
Avent in too, and joined in what we knew to be 
the service for the montli of May. The people 
Avere very devout. It was a real pleasure to be 
among Christians, after having travelled so long 
as heathens. Descending once more by a steep 
rocky path, we passed innumerable villages, each 
with its church and monastery. To the west we 
could see the sea stretching away to the horizon. 
We passed Belluneh and Anturah, where there is a 
large Lazarist college. The ground, which was very 
broken about here, was covered with pine trees, 
and the soil was loose and sandy, and reminded us 
strongly of Banicle, one of the prettiest parts of 
Surrey. The sun had now set, and it was growing 
dark, and we were still some way from Juneh. 
We felt it was quite an open question if our tents 
would ever find their way across the mountains, as 
we had left Perini and the muleteers in a state of 
complete uncertainty about the road ; so altogether 
our minds were somewhat disquieted. Passing 
through Zuk, we still kept descending towards the 
sea by a very rough path. It was now pitch dark, 
and we could only trust to the instinct of our tired 
horses. Suddenly we discovered F. was missing, 
and after waiting some anxious moments for him, 
he rejoined us, announcing that his saddle had 
turned completely round, and he had found himself 



294 JUNEH. 



lying on the ground with one leg high in the air 
caught fast by the stirrup. Fortunately his horse, 
a great milk-white animal, had been far too tired 
to stir when he found his rider off his back. Soon 
we were joined by a man with a lantern, and rode 
through the town of Juneh, hearing the glad news 
that our tents had arrived, and were being pitched 
on the sea-shore. We were not a little relieved at 
the joyful intelligence, as it was now past eight, 
and we had been ten hours on the march, not 
counting stoppages. Poor P. was so exhausted, 
that he fell sound asleep on the ground w^hile 
dinner was preparing, and could hardly be roused 
to eat. We were all dead tired, and should have 
slept soundly enough even without the lullaby 
of the sea, which was svashing against the shore 
just outside the tents. 

' May 7, Saturday. 

^ Bathing in the cool sea the next morning went 
far towards refreshing us. It was a splendid morn- 
ing, but not one of us but felt melancholy when we 
thought how it was our last day of tent life, and 
that at the end of our day's journey a hotel awaited 
us ! However, by this time, we had picked up 
enough Arabic to say " kismet ; " so we mounted 
our horses, and rode on. The shore was disagree- 
able riding ground, being soft and yielding. We 
forded the Nahr-el-Kelb, and noticed with indig- 



BATRUN AND JEBFAL. 295 

nation how the French had defaced an okl Egyp- 
tian inscription on one of the rocks, and cut in 
deep letters, Armce cV Occupation,'' Turning 
an angle of the shore, the Bay of Beyrout lay before 
us, and after a ride of three hours from Juneh, we 
found ourselves at the door of the Hotel de I'Orient, 
right sorry that our pleasant journey in the Le- 
banon had come to an end.' 

The remaining members of the party soon after 
started along the seashore for Batrun, passing round 
a fine headland mentioned by Strabo as the ^ Face 
of God,' and tenting near the village, which con- 
tains nothing remarkable but an old Maronite 
church, with one or two curious Byzantine pictures. 
The peasants brought some golden orioles for sale, 
calling them ' fig ' birds, as they feed on the little 
insects which live on the fig-tree. The next day 
they were in the saddle by four o'clock, and gal- 
loped quickly across the plain to Jebeil, where they 
breakfasted, sitting under the vine-shaded trellis of 
a wayside kahn. There are very fine remains of 
large granite columns scattered throughout this 
town, which likewise contains a fine citadel and 
church. A six hours' ride brought them to the 
picturesque village situated on the Nahr-el-Kelb, 
or Dog Eiver, a fcivourite summer resort of the 
dwellers at Beyrout. The river winds up a wild 
glen to a fine old Maronite convent, perched at the 



296 THE NAHB-EL-KELB BIVEB AND BEYBOUT. 



top of a rock at the head of the gorge. On the 
opposite side of the river some very curious tablets 
are let into and carved in the cliffs, about the origin 
of which the learned are divided ; but the general 
idea is that they are of Assyrian origin, and date 
from the time of Sennacherib. There are some 
later Latin inscriptions, to the effect that Marcus 
Aurelius first made the road up the glen. Our 
travellers dined in a pretty little kahn overlooking 
the rushing river and the picturesque single-arched 
bridge which spans it, and then remounted, and, 
swimming the ford, rode on by the village of Zook, 
where the silk and gold-threaded ' Kaffirs ' are 
made, to Beyrout, which they reached at half past 
five, having been thirteen hours in the saddle. 

A few days were still to elapse before our tra- 
vellers were to take leave of Syria with all its 
cherished and hallowed associations ; and these days 
Avere spent in expeditions in the neighbourhood 
of Beyrout, which appeared to them more lovely 
than ever on their return. It is scarcely possible to 
exaggerate the beauty of this place, with its amphi- 
theatre of mountains, its glorious pine forests, its 
rushing streams, its picturesque villas and convents 
nestling in the gorges of the hills, and its golden 
sands strewn with beautiful shells. It is a perfect 
spring residence, for wlien the heat becomes op- 
pressive in the town, half an hour's ride brings 
you into the delicious bracing air of the Lebanon 



MAR RONKAS AND DER-EL-KULAH, 297 

ranges, where one villa after the other tempts you 
to ])rolong your stay, and each ravine seems more 
lovely than the other. The first ride taken by our 
party was to the convent of Mar Ronkas, through 
the beautiful pine forest, and by an oleander- 
fringed stream, and then scrambling up a path more 
fit for goats than horses, with no other misadven- 
ture than the occasional bursting of a saddle girth 
fi'om the frantic efforts of the poor beasts to keep 
their footing in these so-called roads. The good 
old monks let the lower floor of their convent, and 
seemed diappointed that their visitors only came 
for a few hours and from pure curiosity ; but they 
brought cakes and deliciously cool lemonade, and 
did their utmost to show hospitality to their un- 
expected guests. 

From thence, through a myrtle-scented thicket, ' « 

they rode to Der-el-Kulah, a Maronite convent, 
situated in the very heart of the mountains, fi^om 
whence there is the most glorious view imaginable. 
Their riches consist in silkworms, and a whole 
forest of mulberry trees gave a grateful shade to 
the passer-by. There are some extensive ruins 
close to the convent, said to be the remains of a 
temple of Baal, and also a fine early Christian 
church. Leaving Der-el-Kulah, our party rode 
through a rugged precipitous path (only dignified 
by that name from having sundry smooth slabs of 
stone, at an angle of forty-five degrees, thrown across 

i 



298 



BEIT MIRY. 



the track here and there) to the village of Beit 
Miry, where the whole population seemed absorbed 
in one thing, the rearing and caring for silkworms. 
Cocoons in trays, and heaps of rough or smooth 
white and yellow silk, were in every door and 
windov', and their year seemed divided into seasons 
solely by the age of the caterpillars ! This place 
suffered terribly in the late massacres, and many of 
the summer villas, vvhich w^ere the favourite resort 
of the Beyrout merchants and their families, are now 
but a heap of ruins. It is impossible to conceive 
the loveliness of the view from hence : the whole of 
Beyrout is stretched out at one's feet^ with the 
bright blue sea beyond. A magnificent pine forest 
fills up the ravine to the left ; while to the right 
a grand grey crag rises perpendicularly above one's 
head, and the snow-capped peak of ' Sunnin' towers 
above the wdiole. One of the party declared, ^ It 
w^as like the drop scene a.t the opera.' Certainly, 
in nature, it is rare to meet with such a combi- 
nation of beautifiil fea^tures in any one landscape. 
It was like the fairest Italian picture ; and the 
luxuriance of the flowers which carpeted the whole 
ground, oleanders, cistus (white and lilac), roses, 
maiden-hair fern, and every variety of honeysuckle, 
clematis, and creeping plants, added to the charm 
of the whole. The Maronite peasantry contribute 
to the picturesqueness of the scene ; both men and 
women are a magnificently-formed race, and the dress 



DRESS OF THE PEASANTS, 299 

of the women, consisting generally of a scarlet or 
blue petticoat, a muslin bodice or stoniaclier, a gail}— 
woven sash, and a beautifully-embroidered nmslin 
veil, with strings of gold coins round the neck, adds 
very much to their natural beauty. Their head- 
dress is also peculiar and becoming, consisting of 
the tarboosh, edged with coins, and the ' saffah,' or 
black silk nets, into which is worked a multitude of 
tiny oblong bits of gold. All these are heirlooms, 
and form part of the ' dot ' of a bride, so that they 
will never part with them to a stranger. A pome- 
granate blossom, or a bunch of orange flowers, 
stuck just above the ear, generally completes their 
toilet. The Druze women are dressed more like 
the Egyptian, with the exception of the silver horn 
on the forehead, worn only by the married ones ; but 
they seem to be going out of fashion, for only two 
or three were met with by our travellers. Above 
the village are extensive vineyards, producing a 
delicious luscious grape, of which the sweet wine is 
made so liked by all the dwellers on the coast. Alto- 
gether, Beit Miry is a perfect earthly paradise, and 
were peace and security once more to be guaranteed 
to its inhabitants, its capabilities of improvement 
and the richness of the soil would make it un- 
equalled in all the world for beauty and fertility. 

The next morning, the ladies of the party, being 
somewhat exhausted with the excessive roughness 
of the previous day's ride, contented themselves 



I 



300 KAISMiSWmm DEAC0NE88ES. 



with exploring the town, and went to visit the 
Kaiserswerth Deaconesses, who have a very fine 
establishment at Beyroiit, with a large orphanage, 
and a boarding-school for children of the middle 
classes, managed by thirteen sisters, including a 
gentle and pleasing-looking superior. The whole 
was scrupulously clean and nice, but to eyes accus- 
tomed to the orphanage of the Sisters of Charity of 
St. Vincent de Paul, there was a coldness and an 
absence of cheerful pictures and other things about 
the house which struck them as chilling in the ex- 
treme. In the afternoon, two of the party tried to 
take a drive with an invalid friend in the one 
carriage to be hired at Beyrout ; at the prepara- 
tion of which, the whole street turned out with the 
curiosity which some of us may remember in Eng- 
land at the first appearance of a locomotive. But 
the drive was a failure ; for with every good will on 
the part of the driver and the occupiers of the 
Noah's Ark in question, the cpadrupeds who were 
to drag them were of a different mind ; and, after 
being alternately coaxed and beaten into going in 
an erratic fashion, through part of the pine-wood 
forest to a certain cafe, where, it is to be supposed, 
they had, on previous occasions, found ^ good 
accommodation for man and horse,' as was an- 
nounced in three languages on the doorway, they 
utterly and entirely refused to proceed a step 
further, and all the efforts on the part of the driver, 



THE PASHA'S HAREM. 



301 



assisted by the passers-by, having only resulted in 
tlic horses backing the machine into a ditch, the 
ladies were comj:)elled to get out and walk home. 
Humility and obedience are qualities which the 
Hadites * of the Koran does not include in its 
enumeration of the virtues of their Arab steeds. 

In the evening, the ladies found themselves in- 
vited to visit the harem of the Pasha, who now 
occupy the house inhabited by Lord Dufferin during 
his Beyrout and Lebanon mission. But the harems 
of Cairo and Damascus had spoiled our party for 
anything less sumptuous ; and though the flowers 
were lovely, and the sweetmeats flavoured with 
the finest attar of roses, still the ladies themselves 
were neither well dressed, nor, with one exception, 
beautiful. The same ceremonies were gone through 
as before ; the same endless succession of coffee, 
sweetmeats, and long pipes, and then the English 
ladies took their leave ; and thus ended their last 
evening in this the most delightful of all residences 
on the Syrian coast. 

* The 'Hadites,' or 'Conversations of Mahomet,' are a sort of sup- 
plement or apocryphal addition to the Koran, and are full of curious 
legends and wise sayings attributed to the Prophet. 



302 



LATAKIEH, 



CHAPTER XI. 

ASIA MINOR AND EPHESUS. 

A BEAUTIFUL boat, a kind and obliging captain, and 
agreeable companions, could hardly reconcile our 
travellers to the terrible sorrow of leaving Syria, 
and all those whom they had learned to love and 
know so well during the four months which the 
constant intimate intercourse of camp life had 
made appear almost as many years ! 

The vessel was French — one of the ' Messageries 
Imperiales ' — with a capital saloon on deck, and 
a poop above, from which they sadly and tearfully 
watched the receding minarets and houses of 
Beyrout ; which, by the clear moon, and with the 
flickering lights in the water, appeared even more 
beautiful than by day. 

The following morning found them at Tripoli ; 
but knowing the place already, only one or two of 
the party landed and paid a flying visit to one of 
the convents of the Franciscan Fathers on the shore, 
who gave them mass. The weather was glorious, 
and at two o'clock in the afternoon, the ' Carmel ' 
anchored at 'Latakieh.' This pretty bright little 



LATAKIEIL 303 

town stands on a rocky promontory overlooldiii;* 
the sea, witli a picturesque range of snowy moun- 
tains at tlie back. It is a thriving place, with orange 
and citron groves, and exports great quantities 
of the tobacco wdiich bears its name, and which is 
much esteemed throughout the Levant. The har- 
bour is good, wdth a Saracenic tower guarding one 
entrance, and a ledge of rocks the other. Landing 
at the massive pier, which rests on granite columns, 
our travellers explored the tow-n, which, it is fair 
to say, is more beautiful A^dien seen at a distance 
than w^alking through its dirty streets, especially on 
a very hot day, wdien the aroma of dead dogs was 
anything but inviting ! At the further end of the 
place is a curious triumplial arch of Roman work, 
together with a quantity of granite columns. Every- 
wdiere, in fact, there are fragments of fine buildings, 
Corinthian pillars, and the like ; but wearied wdth 
the sun, our party turned gladly into the cool 
parlour of the Fra^nciscan Fathers, who received 
them, as usual, wdth the greatest kindness and hos- 
pitality. Latakia, the ancient Laodicea, and once 
the seat of an important bishopric, has now^ 
dvdndled dov/n to a miserably small Christian 
population. But they have lately built a nice little 
church, and wdth the wdiolesome terror now in- 
spired in the Turkish mind by the signal punish- 
ment awarded to the perpetrators of the Lebanon 
massacres, it is to be hoped that the good fathers 



3^4 



BOAB TO SELEUGIA. 



may be allowed to prosecute their missionary labours 
in peace. But the great object of landing at 
Latakieh is to make a pilgrimage to Antioch, that 
city so famous in Holy Writ ; and to which there 
is, from hence, a good and direct road. Only two 
of the party, however, had the courage or the time 
to make the attempt ; and the following is an 
extract from the journal of one of them : — 

' Avoiding the more picturesque mountain path, 
Avhich at that time was considered unsafe from the 
irruption of hostile tribes, we wound along the 
coast so as to visit Seleucia on the way. There is 
nothing very picturesque in the scenery till you 
come to the base of " CasmsJ' a great limestone 
mountain rising abruptly from the sea, and immor- 
talised by Pliny. Its base is feathered by a beautiful 
forest of oak and pine, and an underwood of ilex, 
myrtle, pomegranate, and other flowering shrubs. 
Crossing the mouth of the Orontes, by a very 
tolerable ford, in which our horses kept their 
footing without swimming, we suddenly came upon 
what appeared a little earthly paradise. This was 
the home of the late Mr. Barker, once English 
consul in Egypt, who cultivated and planted the 
whole plain, building a beautiful villa in the centre, 
which still remains ; as if to prove v/hat might be 
done with the soil and climate if Asia Minor were 
in other hands. The mulberry, vine, orange, and 
citron grow in the greatest luxuriance, with a 



SELEUCIA. 



305 



multitiulc of beautiful ^vild flowers ; and tlic finest 
crops of Avlieat we liad seen in tlie East. Tbc road 
from hence winds through a forest of oleanders 
(pink, white, and lilac) to Seleucia, behind which 
rises the jagged hill of Jehel Musa^'' the sides of 
which are perforated with rock tombs ; but the 
most interesting thing connected with it is a tunnel 
of magnificent Eoman masonry, supposed to have 
been used for diverting the water, which would 
natm^ally floAV from the mountains after the great 
snows, so as to prevent the flooding of the town. 
The entrance to the harbour is of solid masonry, 
with the ruins of a tower on each side. But the 
Christian reminiscences of the place must ever give 
it an interest, for here St. Paul and St. Barnabas 
first started on their apostolic commission. All 
vestiges of its past glories have now disappeared, 
and Seleucia is utterly desolate. A couple of miles 
farther on is a Moslem chapel dedicated to St. 
George. With that curious traditional belief in 
Christianity and Christian saints which is always tak- 
ing one by surprise in Mohametan countries, we were 
told that not only the Turkish sailors, but the agricul- 
tural labourers, never either start on their voyages 
or sow their crops without invoking his protection ; 
and on their safe return and at harvest time they 
equally congregate here to offer up their thanks- 
givings at his shrine. The patron saint of England 
is a universal favourite throughout the East, and 



3o6 



ANTIOGH. 



every denomination of worshippers has erected a 
temple in his honour. 

bridle-path winds romid the momitain and 
across a ferry from hence to Beit-el-Ma/' the ancient 
' Daphne/ the position of which strongly resembles 
Tivoli ; only that in place of temples, there are 
now flour mills ! Here St. Babylus was martyred, 
and a beautiful church was erected on the spot, of 
which, however, not a stone now remains. 

' The view of Antioch which bursts upon one on 
leaving Beit-el-Ma is perfectly beautiful. The plain 
of the Orontes is, as it were, hemmed in by rugged 
mountains, and the ruins of extensive fortifications, 
with corner towers and crenelated walls, built in 
zigzags down to the river, together with the white 
houses and graceful minarets interspersed with 
palm trees and luxuriant gardens, form altogether 
the most lovely picture it is possible to conceive. 
A steep stony path leads into the town ; but once 
arrived there, we are bound to say that the beau- 
tiful illusion vanishes. Nothing but dirt and 
squalid misery appear on every side ; though the 
grand old walls reaching up to " Mount Silpius," and 
a few towers, some of which seem suspended, like 
Mahomet's coffin, between heaven and earth, re- 
main to testify to a portion of its ancient gran- 
deur. Of the Christian memorials, this, the nursery 
of the Infant Church, where the name was first 
given which it is now our glory to bear ; this, the 



ANTTOCIL 



307 



site of tlic l)isliopr[c of the holy mid venerable St. 
Ignatius, wlio was torn fi'oni hence to feed the Avild 
beasts in the Coliseum; this, the birthplace of St. 
Chrysostom, the Golden-mouthed Doctor --nothing- 
remains saA^e the ruins of one church dedicated to 
St. Peter and St. Paul, and another to St. John, 
near the iron gate, Avhicli has been lately purchased 
by the French. This church is excavated out of 
the very rock itself, and by the altar is an ancient 
well ; a rough kind of fi*esco remains on the walls, 
but that must have been added in later times. 
There is a fine gateway with a single arch on the 
road towards Aleppo, called " Bab Bulus," or the 
Gate of Paul, with a magnificent lime-tree, under 
which a group of Aleppo merchants were resting ; 
and this is all that remains of a town which for 
many centuries bore the name of " the third city in 
the ivorldr ' 

Eeturning to Latakieh, two of the pa.rty pro- 
ceeded to Laneka, on the south coast of Cyprus — a 
route not followed by the ' Carmel,' which contained 
the ladies, who were, therefore, obliged to content 
themselves with the coast line. 

One of the gentlemen wrote, in speaking of this 
expedition — 'We were all dreadfully disappointed 
with the far-famed beauties of this island. We 
called on the Consul, who told us a good deal about 
the state of the country, and also regaled us with 
the most delicious Cyprian wine, which is quite 

x2 



3o8 



CYPRUS, 



different from the ordinary stuff called by that 
name which one gets on board the steamers or in 
the convents. He told us that the northern part of 
the island was far more beautiful and interesting 
than the southern, and that the land is extremely 
fertile, producing every species of vegetable and 
fi-uit. Laneka, though by no means a large place, 
is the chief town of the island, and has a tolerable 
export trade. We walked for some time about the 
town, but found little to interest us, except the 
Franciscan church, which, though not very archi- 
tectural, is spacious, and elaborately decorated. The 
mission is in a flourishing condition, and the num- 
ber of Christians is very considerable. The country 
in the immediate neighbourhood looks very dreary, 
and is, we were told, marshy and pestilential ; but 
at the distance of a few miles inland we could see a 
grand range of high mountains, which are said to 
abound in game. Notwithstanding its many his- 
torical associations — for this town occupies the site 
of the ancient Citium, the birthplace of Zeno, and 
the scene of the death of Cimon, son of Miltiades — 
we left Laneka without any regret.' 

The ^ Carmel ' continuing on her course, reached 
Alexandretta (Iskanderun) by peep of day, and the 
greater portion of her passengers went on shore at 
once. The remains of a fine old Eoman road con- 
nects Antioch and Iskanderun, skirting Bahr-el- 
Abyad, or the ' White Lake,' and winding through 



ISKANDFjRUN. 



309 



a pass cut in the rock, Avitli the remains of an 
ancient and massive gateway at one end. A modern 
Avriter says, ^ It was by this pass (called " the Syrian 
Gate ") that Alexander the Great entered Syria after 
the defeat of Darius in the plains of Issus below. It 
was along this road that Barnabas went from Antioch 
to Tarsus " to seek Saul." And here again the Cru- 
saders defiled after their weary march through Asia 
Minor. Along it now, day by day, picturesque caravans 
pass and repass between Aleppo and Iskanderun.' 

The fact of its being a station for the French 
mail steamers has given a sort of importance to this 
miserable little collection of huts, situated in a 
marshy plain at the foot of the mountains, which 
form a fine bold range at the back, but which are 
almost unexplorable fi-om the bad and savage cha- 
racter of the people. Iskanderun is horribly un- 
healthy, and none remain there save the consular 
agents and the Franciscan Fathers, who ever ' hold 
their lives in their hands,' as it were, for the love of 
God and their neighbour. The people here are 
surly, treacherous, and dangerous. Some of the 
party went out in a little boat (whilst the steamer 
was coaling) to see something of the coast. All of 
a sudden the men laid down their oars, and flatly 
refused to return to the ship, unless on payment 
of an enormous ^ baksheesh.' The situation was 
perilous ; little creeks abounded, into v/hich, with 
the greatest ease, these men might have run tlie 



310 



MEBSINA. 



boat, murdered their passengers, and gone off to 
the mountains with the spoil, safe from any pos- 
sibility of pursuit or fear of justice. Luckily, the 
only gentleman of the party had plenty of pluck 
and courage, and instantly alive to the critical na- 
ture of the position, he ordered the men, in a voice 
of thunder, to pull back to the steamer directly, 
at peril of their lives, displaying at the same time 
his revolver. His imperative voice and manner 
TOLD, as it ahvays does with Orientals, who look 
upon gentleness and courtesy as a sign of fear ; and 
the sailors, dropping the insolent tone they had 
adopted a few minutes before, surlily resumed their 
oars and obeyed. What horror would have hap- 
pened had the ladies been alone with that villain- 
faced crew it is impossible to tell ; but it cured 
them for the future of any v/ish to repeat the ex- 
periment without a sufficient male escort. 

The next morning they arrived at Mersina, where 
there is a^gain a Franciscan mission, church, and 
convent. This place is in Cilicia, and about three 
days' journey fi-om Tarsus, the birthplace of St. 
Paul ; but want of time prevented any of the party 
from making this expedition. The range of the 
Taurus mountains here is very fine, and runs parallel 
to the sea along the south-west corner of Asia 
Minor. The peaks, still covered with snow, were 
dazzlingiy beautiful in the rays of the sun. The 
fine ruins of Soli (now called Mezetlu) are about 



mi ODES. 



five miles from the town, and well worth the. ride. 
It was formerly an important city, with a fine poi't 
and harbonr, bnilt by Pompey ; but now nothing 
remains save twenty or thirty colunms with Greek 
capitals, forming part of a colonnade leading to a 
theatre of white marble, which is almost entirely 
buried in the sand. There are no inhabitants what- 
ever in this place. The ruins crop out here and 
there amidst a wild underwood of orange, mastic, 
myrtle, and other shrubs. 

The following day the ' Carmel ' cast anchor in 
the harbour of Rhodes, at four o'clock in the morn- 
ing ; and the travellers hastily dressing, got into a 
little boat and rowed to shore. It is a beautiful 
island of a triangular shape, richly wooded, with the 
fine snowy peak of Mount Artamira rising up in 
the centre, and adding to the picturesque character 
of the whole. Landing on the sandy shore of a 
little bay to the left of the town, the party pro- 
ceeded to Avalk up to the city gates ; but found 
them closed till six o'clock. No Christian is allowed 
to sleep vvdthin the walls, or to enter the city on 
Friday after eleven o'clock, as there is a prophecy, 
firmly believed in by the Moslems, that the Chris- 
tians are to retake the town on that day. Finding 
they had, therefore, an hour to wait, our travellers 
went to the English and French consuls, and from 
thence to a new church and convent lately built 
outside the walls by the Franciscans, where, to their 



312 



RHODES. 



great pleasure, they found an early mass. In this 
church is a very remarkable painting on marble of 
the Madonna, with the arms of Aubusson (one of 
the later Grand Masters) in a corner on the right- 
hand side. When the Turks took the town, after 
its heroic defence by the knights under Villiers de 
risle d'Adam, a Christian slave concealed this pic- 
ture under the earth-flooring of his house, where it 
was discovered, in 1630, by the Greeks. Through 
all the ruin and spoliation of centuries it has been 
safely preserved, and is as fresh as when first 
executed. Six o'clock having struck, the party 
returned to the gates, and this time were admitted 
by a somewhat surly Turkish official, who, having 
reluctantly performed this evidently distasteful duty, 
utterly declined to assist them in any way to find 
their road to that main object of attraction in 
Ehodes, the ' Street of the Knights.' However, fol- 
lowing the line of the battlements, they soon came 
upon the great ' hospital ' or convent, now converted 
into a barrack, which a good-natured officer volun- 
teered to show them. It is a square building, on 
one side of which is a beautiful hall (formerty the 
refectory), with a ceiling of cedar or cypress wood, 
and on the other a gigantic kitchen, with large 
offices adjoining, all bearing traces of former Chris- 
tian occupation. Leaving the hospital, our travellers 
toiled up the famous and beautiful street, with its 
grand old houses, each with its massive doorway 



THE STREET OF THE KNIGHTS, 313 



and Ccirved escutcheon, by which one can still re- 
cognise the arms of the families to whom the valiant 
knio-hts belono-ed. The 'Fleur de Lis' and ' Tlie 
Three Lions/ side by side, point to the time Avlien, 
as now, England and France were united in defence 
of Christianity against Moslem tyranny. The Eng- 
lish shield, with the arms of Peter d'Aubusson, the 
Grand Master, comes first ; then the Italian, with the 
escutcheon of Fabrice de Carretto ; then the French, 
with the motto over the cable-moulded door of: 

De France. Le Grand Prienr. F. Emery de Amboise. 1492. 

On the shields are the cross of the order and the 
arms of Amboise and of LTsle d'Adam, with the 
royal arms of France in 1495, and the inscriptions, 
^ Voluntas Dei,' and ^ Dieu aide le Pelerin.' A little 
farther on is the ' Chapelle de France,' with the 
arms of the Holy Land, i.e., the ^ Five Crosses.' Then 
come those of Spain and Portugal, and between 
these nations are shields bearing the arms of different 
old families, among which several of the party gladly 
recognised their own. At the top of the hill is the 
palace of the Grand Master ; but like the glorious 
church of St. John, which it adjoins, nothing now 
remains but ruins, the whole having been destroyed 
in the terrible explosion of 1856. The reason of 
the surrender of Rhodes to the Turks was the want 
of ammunition, and for this supposed neglect a noble 
life was sacrificed. Yet his assertions, then un- 



BH0DE8. 



believed, were verified after the lapse of centuries 
by a mass of gunpowder having been discovered in 
vaults, unknown or forgotten, under the church, by 
the accidental ignition of which this terrible and irre- 
parable ruin was effected. Only a half-fallen arch, 
a few marble pillars, and some carved capitals 
testify to the beauty of this once venerable cathe- 
dral ; and out of its scattered stones the Pasha is 
now building himself a palace, regardless of the 
Christian emblems with which they are engraven. 

It was in 1 306, after their defeat at St. Jean 
d'Acre, that the Emperor of the Holy Roman Em- 
pire made a grant of this island to the Knights of 
St. John, who, under their Grand Master, Foulques 
de Villaret, conquered and took possession of it. 
In spite of continued assaults fi-om the Turks, they 
maintained their ground till 1523, when Solyman 
the Magnificent invested it on all sides, and after 
one of the most glorious sieges on record they were 
compelled to capitulate, but retired with all the 
honours of war, and took refuge first in Candia, 
but finally in Malta, which was given to them by 
Charles V. 

From the ' Street of the Knights ' our travellers 
went down to see the harbour and fortifications, 
which remain as a lasting monument of the labour 
and skill of this noble band of men, whose shields 
and armorial bearings are carved under little covered 
canopies, at certain intervals, all along the walls. 



RHODES, 



315 



The cntnincc to the harbour is defended by two 
square towers, dedicated to St. John and St. 
IMichael ; but they suffered nuich last year from 
an earthquake, which did a great deal of damage 
to the whole town. The view of the island 
from the ramparts is beautiful. Judas trees in 
full blossom, planes giving a grateful shade, and 
palms ' cutting the sky line,' as painters say, 
with their graceful foliage, and throwing flickering 
shadows on the slender minarets and glistening 
domes of the town, made a beautiful foreground ; 
while the picturesque coast of Anatolia, with its 
snovry range beyond, and the varied outline of the 
shore, completed the picture. Near St. Catherine's 
Gate is. a square tower, containing a chapel dedi- 
cated to St. George, with a fresco of the saint ; but 
some suppose it to refer to the gallant knight 
' Deodato de Gozon,' who, in defiance of the orders 
of the Grand Master, went out to fight and destroy 
a crocodile which was ravaging the shores. In spite 
of the delight and gratitude of the inhabitants, 
who vrere thereby delivered from their enemy, the 
young knight was publicly degraded and stripped 
of his habit for his disobedience, though afterwards 
reinstated. Our travellers in vain tried to find 
his tomb, on which was the inscription ' Ci git le 
Vainqueur du Dragon ; ' but they discovered a little 
marble tablet in the bastion of Auvergne, which 
records the story. Near this tower of St. George, 



3i6 



RHODES, 



Count Macclonnell discovered another tablet, built 
into the wall, to the memory of an English Knight 
of the Order of St. John, of which the inscription is 
as follows : — 

Hie jacet 
Thomas Newportus 
Angliae Miles, qui obiit 
1502, xxii mensis Sep- 
tembris, cujus anima 
proptietnr Deus. 
Amen. 1505. 

Underneath is a coat of arms with the paternal 
and maternal arms impaled ; and below, a skull and 
bones. 

In all directions shot and shell were lying about, 
and old guns of various kinds, some of them beau- 
tifully decorated, so that it was difficult to imagine 
that the siege was not a thing of yesterday. 

From the ramparts, our party went into the 
bazaars, which are, however, poor enough, the 
only thing to be bought being sponges, and even 
for them an exorbitant price was asked. Whilst 
they were poking about among the stalls of the 
itinerant vendors of Eastern commodities, a poor 
Carmelite Father came to claim their kind inter- 
ference on his behalf, he having been told that the 
captain of the * Carmel ' would strongly object to 
receiving him on board his boat, a monk being in- 
variably considered ^ unlucky ' by the sailors ; and 
yet it was of the utmost importance that the poor 
fellow should proceed at once to Smyrna on urgent 



EGEAN HE A. 



317 



family matters. This idea reminded one of the 
party of the speech of an Ennis Quaker some years 
before in Connty Gahvay, who, describing his im- 
munity from outrage at the hands of the Irisli 
peasantry (then justly incensed against their Saxon 
landlords), said : ^ ! they won't hurt me, because 
they consider it " unlucky " to shoot a Quaker — it's 
like shooting a Kobin Eedbreast ! ' In this case, 
the captain having been persuaded to waive his 
prejudice and disregard the ' unluckiness ' of his 
Avould-be passenger, the poor Carmelite came on 
board, and the steamer soon after got under weigh 
and steamed out of harbour and through the beau- 
tiful chain of islands in the Egean Sea. One only 
thing at Rhodes had been unvisited by our tra- 
vellers for lack of time ; and that was, the curious 
collection of antiquities lately discovered by M. 
Biliotti, the son of the English Vice-Consul at Scio, 
which Miss Beaufort has described in the second 
volume of her charming book on ' Syrian Shrines ' 
(that most agreeable guide to travellers in Pales- 
tine), and which she characterises as the result of 
excavations in ' an entire necropolis of the time 
of the Phoenician Greeks.' 

'The ''Carmel" kept on her westerly course 
as far as Iclos, and still continued to hug the 
coast of Asia Minor, passing close to Cape Krio, 
the point of the long peninsula which here juts 
out into the sea. The walls and ruins of the 



3i8 THE ISLANDS IN THE EGEAN SEA. 



ancient Ciiidus^ which occupied this position, were 
distinctly visible, and give evidence of a large city 
having once existed on this spot. But immedi- 
ately above the plateau on which the ruins stand, 
rises the sheer, bleak mountain range, which seems 
to shut out all view of the interior from the dwel- 
lers on the coast. It was off this cape that 
Conon gained his well-known victory over the 
Lacedemonians. - 

' From Cape Krio the steamer struck across the 
mouth of the bay to Boudrun, a cheerful-looking, 
bright little town, with the remains of fine fortifi- 
cations, formerly belonging to the Knights Hospi- 
tallers. It is the representative of the ancient 
Halicarnassus. Thence the Carmel " threaded 
her way through a multitude of islands, passing 
close to Cos and Calymnos, and getting a glimpse 
just before sunset of the mountainous peaks of 
Patmos, the place of exile of St. John. On the 
island of Cos were seen the remains of an old 
castle, also the work of the Knights ; and at 
Patmos, a telescope enabled our travellers to fancy 
they detected the walls of the Acropolis, which still 
exists on the top of the hill above the town. There 
is a most interesting convent in this island ; but 
the steamer could not stop for any of the party to 
land and visit it. The prosperity of Calymnos 
depends on its sponge fishery, which employs the 
whole population, and is very lucrative. Later in 



THE ISLANDS IN THE EGEAN SEA. 319 

the cYcniiig the pilot from the poop of the steamer 
pointed out Samos and Nikania ; after which her 
course was directed into comparatively open sea 
for the night, the following morning finding her 
under the lee of Chios. The grand, picturesque 
beauty of this whole mountainous coast was very 
striking ; and also the great desolation which per- 
vades the country, whether on the islands or the 
mainland ; but still more remarkably in islands 
once so teeming with Greek colonists, and such 
great emporiums of trade. Cos certainly looked 
green and fertile, and tolerably cultivated, while at 
the northern extremity of the island there is an 
apparently large and well-built town. But other- 
wise, with the exception of Boudrun, not a village 
nor scarcely an inhabitant is to be seen. The 
complete dying-out of the Turkish race inhabiting 
Asia Minor, whether caused by the rapacity of the 
Pashas or fi-om some hitherto unexplained cause, 
is a fact vvhich is occupying the attention of the 
most earnest thinkers in Constantinople and else- 
where at this moment. Whole tracts of country, 
formerly gardens of fertility, are now lying fallow 
and utterly neglected for want of hands. Soon the 
long coast of Lesbos (or Mitylene), as it is now 
called, came in sight, bounding the horizon to the 
north ; and then the Carmel " took a sudden 
turn eastward, and steamed into the glorious 
Bay of Smyrna. This bay is more than thirty 



320 



S3IYRNA. 



miles in length ; the shores are beautiful — villas 
and little villages nestle among the hills, or close 
to the water's edge, with cypresses and palms and 
groups of fir-trees — while at the back of the town 
stretches a fine mountainous range, on the summit 
of one of which stand the remains of an old and 
picturesque castle. It was almost like the first 
sight of Beyrout ; with the only drawback that 
here, for the first time, for nearly eight months, our 
travellers detected roofs to the houses ; a sorrowful 
proof, if any were needed, of their approaching 
return to European habits and customs. Here they 
were to take leave of their delightful ship and 
courteous captain, as the " Carmel " was bound for 
Athens, and they for Constantinople. While the 
negotiations were pending between their courier 
and the captain of a smaller vessel, whose destina- 
tion was for the Turkish capital, our travellers 
landed, and escaping the custom-house by a judi- 
cious " baksheesh," made their way to the Hotel de 
I'Europe, where they secured rooms for the two 
nights of their stay. This done, they proceeded, 
in spite of the intense heat, to explore the town. 
The Frank quarter is rather Italian than Oriental ; 
but the Turkish bazaars greatly resemble those of 
Cairo. The population of Smyrna, which is about 
150,000, is composed of all nations, Turks, Arme- 
nians, Greeks, Italians, French, English, and others. 
There are a great number of English merchants. 



SMYRNA. 



321 



who form, apparently, a very flourishing body. 
The Levantines, who arc spread throughout Asia 
Minor, Syria, and Egypt, but who live specially at 
Smyrna, are a peculiar race of people, partly de- 
scended fi'om the ancient inhabitants of Asia Minor, 
and partly Greek with an Italian element. They 
speak the Greek language, and for the most part 
w^ear the European costume. They have for cen- 
turies been the chief traders in this part of the 
world, though some of them are in poor circum- 
stances. They are almost all wonderfully hand- 
some, especially the women and children, and have 
a type of native beauty rarely to be found except 
in those who have gentle blood in their veins. 
Having made sundry purchases in the bazaars, 
our travellers went to see the Latin and Greek 
churches, and to the Convent of the Sisters of 
St. Vincent de Paul. Unfortunately, Monsignor 
Spaccapietra, the venerable Catholic Archbishop of 
Smyrna, to whom they had letters of introduction, 
was absent at the time ; and when they arrived at 
the Home of the Sisters of Charity, they found that 
the superior and most of the community had taken 
their orphans that day for a holiday to Ephesus, so 
that the house was comparatively empty. But the 
sisters who had stayed at home w^ere most kind and 
loving, showing them all over the orphanage, and 
insisting upon their coming to rest in their delici- 
ously cool parlour, and giving them some of those 

Y 



322 SITE OF THE MARTYRDOM OF ST. POLYCARP. 



refreshing drinks, called in Italy ^ una bibita/ which 
are nowhere so well understood as in those hot 
countries. When the sun's heat diminished a little 
in intensity, our party started for the Castle Hill, to 
see that which is the chief object of interest in 
Smyrna, the site of St. Polycarp's martyrdom. 
Fragments of old walls, with a few relics of the 
Temple of Jupiter, are all that remain of the ancient 
city ; but the form of the amphitheatre is still 
clearly visible, and it Avas with no common feelings 
that they walked across the arena, still partially 
enclosed by broken seats, and then came to the spot 
which tradition points out as the site of the glorious 
triumph of the martyr. When Philip the Asiarch was 
petitioned by the people to let loose a lion upon St. 
Polycarp, he told them that it was out of his power, 
as those shows were closed. They then unanimously 
demanded that he should be burnt alive. Their 
request was no sooner granted than every one ran 
with speed to fetch all available wood from the 
baths and shops, and heaped it round the martyr, 
whom they would have nailed to the stake, but for 
his beautiful words, ' Suffer me to be as I am. He 
who gives me grace to bear the fire will enable me 
to stand still without that precaution.' Fire was 
set to the pile, which burst into a mighty flame ; 
but instead of consuming the body of the martyr, 
the flames formed themselves into an arch, like the 
sails of a ship swelled with the wind, gently encir- 



TURKISH CEMETERY. 



323 



cling', without Imrtiiig, their intended victim ; and 
the infidels, enraged at the miracle which baffled 
their fury, thrust him through and through with 
their spears.* In the enceinte of the old castle is a 
ruined mosque, built on the site and fi-om the 
materials of what is said to have been the church 
built over his tomb, which is pointed out with the 
greatest veneration by both Moslems and Christians. 
Returning home by moonlight, they passed through 
the Turkish burial-ground, which is of immense 
extent, as no grave is ever opened a second time. 
It is in the midst of a grove of gigantic cypresses, 
like that of Scutari, and the effect is sombre and 
beautiful in the extreme. 

The following day was spent in an expedition to 

* St. Polycarp, tlie friend and companion of St. John tlie Evangelist, 
was the angel or bishop of the Church of Smyrna, a Church commended 
above all others by Christ Himself in the Apocalypse, as the only one 
of the seven without reproach. He governed that see for seventy years, 
and was said to be 120 years old at the time of his martyrdom. His 
prayer while standing on his funeral pile is too beautifal not to be 
inserted here : — 

' Almighty Lord God, Father of Thy beloved Son Jesus Christ, 
by whom we have received the knowledge of Thee, God of augels, 
powers, and every creature, and of all the race of the just who live in 
Thy presence, I bless Thee for having been pleased in Thy goodness 
to bring me to this hour, that I may receive a portion in the number 
of Thy martyrs, and partake of the Chalice of Thy Christ, for the 
resurrection to eternal life in the incorruptibleness of Thy Holy Spirit ; 
amongst whom grant me to be received this day as a pleasing sacrifice, 
such a one as Thou Thyself hast prepared, that so Thou mayest accom- 
plish in me what Thou, true and faithful God, hast foreknown. 
Wherefore, for all things I praise, bless, and glorify Thee, through 
the Eternal High Priest, Jesus Christ, Thy Beloved Son, with whom, 
to Thee, and the Holy Ghost be glory, noAV and for ever and ever. 
Amen.' 

Y 2 



324 



TBAIN TO EPHESUS. 



the ruins of Epliesus. Our travellers were lucky 
enough to find a special train engaged by a party 
of Smyrna merchants for the day, who very good- 
naturedly allowed them to put on another carriage 
to theirs. This, the first railroad in Turkey, was 
completed about two years ago by an English com- 
pany, and is entirely under English superintendence. 
It was hoped thereby to open up the trade with the 
interior. But the peasants seem to have both a fear 
and a jealousy of this new sort of transport, and 
most of the produce of the interior still finds its 
way to Smyrna on the backs of mules or camels. 
The train started at 9'30, and the journey to Ephesus 
took about an hour and a half. It is forty-eight 
miles ; but being a special train, there was, of course, 
no delay on the road. The line runs through a long 
and fertile valley, or rather plain, backed by high 
and rugged hills, which reminded one of Savoy. To 
the east, several distant snow-capped mountains 
came in sight, and the whole scenery was quite 
lovely. Every member of the party was in raptures 
with the specimen afforded them of the natural 
beauties of Asia Minor, a country so little known to 
English people in general, and so well deserving a 
better acquaintance. Arrived at Ephesus, a fresh 
surprise awaited them. The native village of Aya- 
silook (a corruption of the Greek word signifying 
a churcJi), and which has become the principal 
railway station, is certainly small, dirty, and by no 



EPHESUS. 



means remarkable. But the whole surface of the 
ancient city, occupying a space of perliaps three 
miles square, is stretched out as on a map at your 
feet, and is literally covered with ruins, fi-agments 
of temples, ampliitheatres, public baths, and other 
gigantic buildings. The first real excavations are 
now being made for the British Museum ; and some 
bold antiquarians pretend to identify every portion 
as this or that temple, theatre, library, bath-house, 
and so on. But one site is indubitable, and that is 
the site of the great Theatre of Diana, built on the 
side of a hill, which forms a beautiful background, 
and facing the sea. There are a vast number of 
prostrate columns in all directions, and in many 
places the ground is literally a mass of fragments of 
marble, granite, and masonry. The ruins represent 
buildings of all ages, from 1,000 years before the 
Christian era to the time of the Saracenic Sultans. 
Hardly any city in the world, save Rome, combines 
so many Pagan with so many Christian associations. 
The circus or stadium is almost perfect, and is 
between 600 and 700 feet long. Here one could 
almost see St. Paul amid the stormy throng of 
the theatre. Here also St. Timothy was first 
bishop, that favourite son of the great Apostle 
of the Gentiles ; and here St. John, the Beloved 
Disciple, with the Blessed Mother of God, ended 
their days in love and peace. A ruined mosque 
near the village occupies the site of an ancient 



326 



JEPHESUS. 



church which was built over the great Apostle's 
tomb. Now, the silence and desolation are un- 
broken. The chosen Church ^ left her first charity.' 
She refused to ^ do penance ; ' and so God's un- 
failing word pronounced her doom, and her ' Candle- 
stick ' was ' removed out of its place.' A shepherd 
leading his flocks, who followed his voice, to browse 
the scanty herbage among the pillars, was the only 
living thing amid those wonderful remains of de- 
parted grandeur and holy associations ! 

The ruins are now about three miles from the 
sea ; but it seems that formerly the city was on the 
coast, and the land which now intervenes is an 
alluvial soil formed by the deposit of the River 
Cayster during the last 2,000 years. 

One day was scarcely enough for sketching and 
exploring this most interesting place, though the 
managers of the railway had obligingly provided 
horses for the accommodation of the travellers ; and 
it was with real regret that they found the time was 
come when the train was to start on its way back 
to Smyrna. They reached their hotel at nine 
o'clock, after twelve hours of intense pleasure, leav- 
ing life-long recollections. One of the party who 
had visited Smyrna some years before, said that, 
at that time, it was quite unsafe to go half a mile 
beyond the city ; and that the Kurds had been 
known to dash into the town and carry off a mer- 
chant from his desk in his very counting-house for 



SMYIiNA, 



the sake of ransom. Now, thon^li tliero are still 
some wild and migratory tribes in the neighl)()ur- 
hood, the wliole of the country between Smyrna 
and Ephesns is opened to European improvement, 
and no injury has ever been attempted to either 
the railroad or the passengers. 

The folloAving day our travellers embarked on 
board their new boat, the ^ Taurus,' a miserably 
small and crowded steamer, in which some of the 
party could only obtain berths by the kindness of 
the ship's officers in the one case, and* the good- 
nature of the passengers in the other. Though the 
passages had been taken weeks beforehand from 
Beyrout to Constantinople, and the Company were 
consequently bound to send them on, no proper 
arrangement had been entered into with the cor- 
responding Smyrna steamer, which had filled its 
cabins with local passengers, including the wife and 

family of the Anglican Bishop of , who had 

been exercising his episcopal functions at Smyrna, 
and was now bound for the Turkish capital, hoping 
thereby to assist in the much-desired movement of 
union with the Greek Church, and communion with 
the Greek patriarch in that city — a hope, however, 
which was destined to be frustrated. The last few 
hours of their stay at Smyrna were spent in making- 
various purchases and drinking coffee and sherbet 
at the femous coffee house, near the Caravan 
Bridge, over wliich strings of camels are seen wend- 



328 VOYAGE FROM SMYRNA TO THE DARDANELLES, 



ing their way slowly from all parts of Asia Minor 
into the town, laden with their fruity burden, which 
is afterwards deposited in the courtyards of the 
merchants' houses, where multitudes of women and 
children are at work all day long, picking and pre- 
paring the oranges and figs for instant expor!:ation. 

After leaving Smyrna the weather suddenly 
changed, and though the steamer touched at Castro, 
the ancient Mitylene (in Lesbos), it was with great 
difficulty that the mails could be landed at Tenedos. 
No anchor could be got to hold, and the captain 
was forced to let her drive about outside the port 
for some time, while the little mail boat was landing. 
Opposite Tenedos is the site of Troy ; and had the 
gale been less heavy, it would have been a great 
pleasure to land, or even to think that one was 
actually coasting along the Troad, so famous in 
classical lore. Some little way before arriving at 
this point, the cliffs on the mainland suddenly cease, 
and the coast becomes flat and low. 

Before the evening was over, the steamer entered 
the long narrow Straits of the Dardanelles, passing- 
through Sestos and Abydos. The entrance to the 
Straits is very fine, with castles on either side ; 
and, indeed, the shores the whole way along are 
strongly fortified, and cannon-mouths peep through 
the loop-holes of all the battlements. By the 
Treaty of Paris, no foreign vessel of war above 
a certain tonnage is allowed to enter the Dar- 



THE SEA OF MARMORA. 



danellcs Avithout a special firman from the Sultau. 
About mid-day the steamers stopped for a sliort 
time at the somewhat miserable town of Dar- 
danelles, on the Asiatic side of the Straits, and 
then pursued her course through ever-increasing 
wind and rain to Gallipoli, on the European 
side, near the entrance of the Sea of Marmora. 
Here the captain in vain endeavoured to continue 
his voyage. The gale increased in severity, and 
after two or three futile attempts, he was compelled 
to put back, lay-to, and wait till the next day. The 
passengers endeavoured to make up for their dis- 
appointment by different games, which increasing 
sea-sickness and misery soon made impossible. For 
twenty-four hours the steamer rocked hopelessly up 
and down ; and those whom the over-crowded 
state of the boat had deprived of a cabin sat 
miserable and soaked through, sheltering them- 
selves as best they might in the ship's tarpauling. 
At -last the storm abated a little, and they were 
able to continue their voyage through the Sea of 
Marmora, which was, however, too rough to be at 
all pleasant. The captain told them that the night 
before no boat could have lived in that sea, espe- 
cially a small one, like the ' Taurus,' which was 
only meant for calm, coasting voyages. Fortu- 
nately, the next morning the sky cleared ; the sun 
came out, and the glorious approach to Constanti- 
nople was made under the most favourable auspices. 



330 



THE GOLDEN HORN. 



The first view of the Golden Horn, and the opening 
of the Bosphorus, far exceeded even the highly- 
raised expectations of our travellers ; and the places 
pointed out on the way — ^Scutari with its gigantic 
Barrack Hospital, and its burial-ground alongside, 
St. Sophia and its golden dome, and all the rest — 
awakened a host of thrilling and sorrowful recol- 
lections, which lasted till Miseri's boat, gliding 
among the mass of ^ caiques,' which were skim- 
ming their way, like those little birds of unrest, 
across the Bosphorus, recalled them to present 
necessities, and soon landed them at the Admiralty 
Port, where four gaily-painted sedan chairs con- 
veyed them through the frowning guns of the 
arsenal up the steep narrow street, and, finally, 
deposited them safely in the courtyard of that most 
comfortable and well-known hotel — destined to be 
the residence of two of the party during so many 
anxious weeks of sickness and tedious conva- 
lescence. 



PEINTED 



LONDON 
BY SPOTTISWOODE 
NEW-STREET SQUARE 



AND CO. 



